I live in Arizona, and I wash my garbage. Seriously. My community is a place lauded for its recycling efforts, and every week I fill a bin with used cans, containers, and other pre-qualified detritus that I first wash at my kitchen sink, and it all magically and ecologically finds its way back into the great chain of packaging.

Every time I do this, though, it is impossible for me not to remind myself that I am living in a desert. In a desert, water conservation is a very big deal, even bigger than recycling. So I wonder if it just wouldn’t be a better idea—more ethical, more prudent, more ecological—to simply surrender the crusty peanut butter container to a landfill.

I really wish I knew how to resolve this moral dilemma, but truly I don’t.

I burden you with this personal conflict because I am not alone. The so-called green movement has become arguably the dominant social theme and, some would argue, the premier personal responsibility of our time. The simple truth, however, is that the majority of consumers confronted by the imperatives of ecological consciousness are confused, feeling helpless, and ultimately mistrustful of both the message and the messengers.

For hard stats on this issue, there’s the Shelton Group, a Knoxville, Tennessee-based firm that bills itself as “the only ad agency in America completely focused on the energy efficiency and sustainability sector.” Fleshing out findings intimated in the top-line research of more prominent research firms, the consumer mindset research commissioned by the Shelton Group indicates that the average American consumer is generally ambivalent, and maybe even a little negative, when it comes to being targeted by green marketing. Shelton Group CEO Suzanne Shelton characterizes this as “America’s dirty little green secret.”

According to Shelton, her agency’s research indicates that most Americans are “armchair environmentalists at best.” They will far more frequently choose product comfort over environmental credentials, have little recall when it comes to the green products they claim to be buying, believe that a green tag often means extra expense and inferior products, are totally hazy about many of the most basic of environmental concepts such as carbon credits and global warming, and are turned off by the overwhelming amount of information being generated by increased media coverage. They are also hugely skeptical about businesses that promote themselves as green, with only 13 percent of the study’s respondents agreeing with the assertion that businesses that promote themselves as green do so “because their owners/shareholders care about the environment.”

“The green marketing movement is very cart-before-the-horse right now,” says Shelton, “and it seems that few players in this space really understand that investing in educational groundwork will ultimately be needed to achieve meaningful connections between green messages and consumers. If you were an alien visiting Earth, you would probably think our culture is all about sustainability right now. But it’s still very much an emerging concept.”

Ironically, and somewhat painfully for marketers, there is a flip side to the ambivalent consumer equation. According to Shelton, 28 percent (Roper Consulting confirms the figure at 30 percent) of Americans are in fact “true greens,” committed to the principles of environmental activism. Shelton describes this portion of the population as “pit bulls,” and cautions that this segment of the market has zero tolerance for enterprises that violate a stated environmental claim, or backtrack from a green commitment.

The truth of this last assertion was recently brought home to Gary Occhiogrosso, president of Desert Moon Grille, a 15-unit fast casual Southwestern/Fresh-Mex concept based out of New York. When the chain announced an eight-week trial of a biodegradable greenware product, it was clear to the environmentally conscious operator that this was simply a product in test. When the test ended, however, and it was determined that plasticware was more serviceable in take-out orders, the push back from true-green consumers “became quite an issue.”

“People wrote on comment cards ‘What happened?’ All of a sudden the burritos didn’t seem to matter at all,” Occhiogrosso says. “We learned that once you make a move in this direction, you really can’t back out.”

Occhiogrosso cautions that a thoughtful approach is required in all green initiatives. Beyond being consistent and committed, so green efforts don’t just seem like some sort of marketing hustle, the operator needs to appreciate that vested brand attributes must always drive the business. Green initiatives should enhance rather than compromise the perception of the brand; the emphasis has to be on realistic expectations and a primary focus must be maintained on the overall experience that customers have come to know and love.

“When we look at greening,” Occhiogrosso says, “it’s clear that it’s the right thing to do. Still, we’re in business and have certain needs and expectations, just as the guest has needs and expectations. Right now, for example, it’s important to hold prices steady and not compromise quality. We have to ask how you blend all of it, how you keep your culture and your goals, and move toward environmental friendliness so that it all fits in with the business.”

“A lot of businesses want to do it half-assed,” Shelton says. “If you make it part of your philosophy and beliefs, you will get likely rewarded for it. But if it’s just a marketing thing, consumers will see right through it, and you’re screwed.”