Motives are silly things. Do they always have to matter? I suppose it depends on what the product or goal of your motivation results in. If it’s for the greater good, I doubt it matters how you arrived there - just that you’re there.

Here is my point: lately it seems that being eco-conscious is cool. If you can put a green spin on an idea, it becomes much more attractive. Are you going to buy some groceries? BYO Tote! Are you commuting to work? Ride your bike!

For the record, I do care about the environment. But I also am a touch cynical when I see these trends emerging. On the flip-side, if folks need to think being green is en vogue in order to start making changes, I’m all for it. Look what Lance Armstrong and his yellow bracelets did - he made charity fashionable. Genius! I’m willing to swallow my sarcastic remarks and feel happy that this green epidemic is taking over.

Cashing in on trends is just smart marketing. The green wave is not the only movement sweeping the globe. Don’t things seem so much cooler when you can ‘2.0-ify’ them? Oh man.

And what if you could classify something as both 2.0 and green? My God that is brilliant. Someone should really think about how to position themselves as ‘Green 2.0′. Actually - it appears that Software-as-a Service ( SaaS) has done just that.

Traditional software relies on energy inefficient, draining and cumbersome hardware. And as technology progresses (which it will do - forever), out-dated pieces of hardware are difficult to recycle. By comparison, SaaS reduces those pesky carbon dioxide emissions, and there’s no new gadget to purchase. The web delivers the software to you without effort.

Centralized SaaS data centers also minimize waste. Instead of individuals operating individual data centers, a large communal SaaS data center is more efficient, leaner and greener.

SaaS is so cool.