Kermit the Frog obviously never made a living selling powersport vehicles. If he had, he would have thought twice about crooning his “It ain't easy being green” anthem and capitalized on the potential of green marketing. Stringent changes in government policy, a more savvy consumer and the skyrocketing price of gas are all leading the world in an environmentally conscious direction and there's no reason powersport dealers can't ride the lily pad too.

While performance and price loom over all else in buying considerations, the Canadian Marketing Association says the environment is on the top of mind for consumers, but with one caveat: they're wary. A recent Ipsos Reid poll says nearly two-thirds of Canadians think “marketing ploy” when they hear green marketing, because businesses operating at all degrees of disrepute have claimed green whether they were or not. Still, saving the planet remains in the top three considerations for making large purchases. Therefore, if you're going to market green, and you should, make sure you can walk the walk.

Green marketing of powersport vehicles these days can be an easy sell. Increased fuel efficiency, low emissions technology and sound restricting exhaust systems are standard fare on new vehicles; all dealers have to do is point them out. This nice thing about stock environmental features is that unlike other alternative, energy-saving technologies they don't cost more. So the consumer who cares about climate change but doesn't want to pay $20 for a lightbulb can feel good about contributing to the earth's well-being without paying a penny extra for fuel efficiency or low emissions technology.

Manufacturers and distributors are excellent sources of detailed green-feature information. Corporate environmental commitments have become standard company policies and the big players are doing everything from recycling water at manufacturing plants to saving sea turtles in Texas. There's really isn't an angle that can't be explored in the quest to market green; it's just a matter of knowing the facts and getting them out there. As green technologies improve and become more prevalent, staying abreast of new developments can keep the planet happy, keep the financial green rolling in and good old Kermit can eat his words.