Who is the greenest brand of all? According to Generation Y the answer is directly tied to their perceptions and not necessarily reality. Those are the results of a 2008 study conducted by Bentley's Center for Marketing Technology.

The CMT surveyed 2,127 college students from across the country with an average age of 21.8., known as Generation Y, the next major consumer group and a key target of marketers.

The goal was to find out which brands this group considered the most green, the least green and why.

Online Market World just released its latest report, “How Green is eCommerce?” and found that both B2B and B2C online sellers are increasingly adopting environmentally friendly business practices.

The survey, which ran from January 15, 2008 to March 15, 2008, attracted feedback from 379 respondents representing virtually every industry type. The bulk of respondents came from retailers, technology companies, and advertising/PR/marketing agencies. Company sizes ranged from under $5 million to more than $500 million with the bulk of respondents representing companies selling $50 million or less per year.

The results of the survey show that a number of companies are not only selling green products but buying them as well. Some are going so far as to cooperatively design products or packaging with suppliers.

EcoAlign released the results of the third EcoPinion survey on green brands and brand messaging. The third EcoPinion Survey highlights the fact that very few brands have any resonance in the market for green products and services. Consumers largely have a neutral, wait-and-see stance on company commitments and leadership on renewable energy, energy efficiency and the environment.

Findings from the EcoPinion Survey Report include:

• Fifty-four percent (54%) of consumers could not name, on an unaided basis, a company who supplied renewable or “green” energy.
• Seventy-one percent (71%) of respondents were not familiar, on an aided basis, with ten “pure play” companies in the renewable and green energy space.

More after the jump.

Guidance unveiled a best-practices guide to help companies of any size operate as environmentally aware organizations and reduce or eliminate their carbon footprints. The guide includes strategies learned from the company’s own experience throughout its quest to help create a sustainable environment.

The report is a step-by-step guide helping companies evaluate their operations, calculate their carbon footprint and take action. It covers strategies for reducing or eliminating consumption of non-renewable resources like energy, paper and plastic, ideas for incorporating recycling programs, and suggests ways to offset the amount of carbon dioxide the company releases into the atmosphere through its activities.

Find out more and where to download the guide for free after the jump.

Hyping your business or products as environmentally friendly can attract eco-concerned consumers and boost overall customer affinity. But beware! It holds just as many risks. You could get slapped with “greenwashing” your brand.

Here’s how to stay on the good side of hyper-sensitive green consumers and craft a message that makes everyone happy. Plus, lots of hotlinks to helpful resources.

When it comes to doing their part for the environment, Americans may be "greener" than they think - with many participating in more than two "green" activities regularly. A new study entitled "Moving Consumers from Green Interest to Green Action," conducted by Insight Research Group in partnership with HGTV and the Natural Resources Defense Council, set out to gain an in-depth understanding of people's relationship to green and how it fits into their lives. The research found that more than 84 percent of respondents believe "it is a moral obligation" to care for the environment and 86 percent already participate in at least one green activity such as conserving energy at home, recycling, driving a fuel efficient car, buying recycled products or picking up litter. However, the research also found that a main barrier to doing more "green" actions is people's trepidation that such activities may associate them with extreme political or environmental viewpoints.

The City of Palo Alto recently celebrated its ranking as the number one renewable energy program in the U.S., according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. PaloAltoGreen, a voluntary green energy purchasing program, now boasts a membership of one in five ratepayers. While the national average for enrollment in similar programs is less than two percent, PaloAltoGreen saw a five percent membership increase in 2007.

The City of Palo Alto, a leading member of the Northern California Power Agency, launched PaloAltoGreen five years ago. For an additional 1.5 cents per kilowatt hour, community ratepayers can volunteer to enroll in the green energy program. Annually, the City’s utility department purchases nearly 41.5 million kWh of clean energy, which offsets approximately 700 million pounds of harmful carbon dioxide.

HP committes to reduce the energy consumption of its volume desktop and notebook PC families by 25 percent by 2010. HP also now leads the industry in the number of Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool Gold listed products with the introduction of more than two dozen PCs registered in North America at either the Gold or Silver rating levels.

HP has long focused on developing products designed with the environment in mind, and it was the first PC manufacturer to register an EPEAT Gold product with the HP Compaq rp5700 Long Lifecycle Business Desktop PC in 2007.

The EPEAT system helps shoppers evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on the products’ environmental attributes. EPEAT evaluates electronic products according to three tiers of environmental performance: Bronze, Silver and Gold.