As Kermit the Frog once said, "It isn't easy being green." Take this new "eco points" plan that goes into effect once the latest supplemental budget is formally passed. Consumers who buy refrigerators, air conditioners and TVs designated as having energy saving qualities will receive points that can be used toward the purchase of other energy-saving appliances that have yet to be determined. However, certain parties in the government and the home-electronics industry have complained. If the real purpose of the eco-point system is to stimulate the economy, they say, why limit the use of the points to only energy-saving appliances? For that matter, why limit their use to appliances? Why not extend their application to other products or services?
Of course, once you go there you can't really call them eco points any more, but nomenclature has always been flexible in Japan. Just ask anyone who's bought a mansion. Nevertheless, if the eco-point system develops along these lines it's bound to make the public even more jaded about the term "eco," and the media just exacerbates the situation. Producers and advertisers alike throw terms like "green" and kankyo mondai (environmental issues) around so casually that people are as likely to think "eco" stands for "economy."
"Eco air conditioner" has always sounded like an oxymoron to me. The only environmentally friendly air conditioner is one that's turned off.