Recently by Laura Hudgins

It’s official. My family has become the latest victim of “green noise,” that cacophony of conflicting environmental messages and concerns lobbed at consumers by marketers, environmental groups, and well-intentioned do-gooders. It’s simply become impossible to decide which eco-friendly choice is the best.

Here’s how it goes for me. I walk into a grocery store with a vague idea of what I need to get. I head to the produce section and meet with my first roadblock: which organics should I buy? The ol’ grocery budget forces me to pick and choose. The organic bananas seem like a steal at 89 cents a pound--but I’ve read that the less expensive conventionally grown bananas have only minimal levels of pesticide residues, and if I’m worried about the environment, don’t I need to consider that the bananas have racked up a considerable carbon footprint after being transported from South America? Hmm…peaches? The peaches are almost in season and at least were grown in the continental US. Easy decision ‘til – good Lord! Who can afford organic peaches?!

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Years ago, a former colleague confessed a dirty little secret to me after I stumbled upon her rinsing out a disposable Starbucks cup in the office kitchen: she would splurge on Starbucks every couple of weeks in order to get the Starbucks cup, which she would fill with office-brewed coffee in the interim. She didn’t Rinse, Reuse, and Recycle the cup because her environmental conscience instructed her to do so; she did it because she wanted people to think she was having a latte! I found it wrong on so many levels: Why did she care? Why did she think we cared? Why didn’t she just buy a reusable Starbucks tumbler?

An article in today’s WSJ reminded me of this incident. Starbucks is looking to expand its franchise in China, land of up-and-coming consumers -- and of counterfeit goods.

For decades, street vendors in cities around the globe have been selling knock-off Rolex watches, Kate Spade bags, and Polo shirts to people who care more about the status a name-brand product conveys than quality or authenticity. Given that Starbucks is truly pricey for China, how long will it be before some clever Chinese manufacturer starts selling knock-off Starbucks paper cups for people like my old colleague who want the status without the cost?