It's not easy going green

This week, John Baird committed $30 million to preserve the Great Bear rain forest. After nearly a year of waiting for the federal government to pay up, the announcement conveniently coincides with the Tories' green makeover.

The Minister of Natural Resources, Gary Lunn, also pledged $300 million in energy efficiency subsidies for homes and a small number of businesses, as part of their "so-called" green plan (if Harper can refer to GHGs as "so-called", then I can refer to their green status as "so-called").

According to Keith Boag, chief political correspondent for CBC, the government's green makeover is a sign that it is realizing it was slow to act.

But, as newly reappointed Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale put it, "Have they changed the message or just the messenger?''

The green makeover started earlier this month with a new figurehead, John Baird. But the Conservatives need to convey they are taking action, and quickly. So they have looked to implement policies that can be enacted easily to convince the public they've changed.

The Tories have finally hacked into the budget for the sake of the environment, promising $230 million for research and development into clean energy, another $300 million in rebates for household energy efficiency (which sounds suspiciously similar to the Liberal "one tonne challenge"), $ 30 million to preserve the Great Bear rain forest, and $2 million to clean up the destroyed Stanley Park.

Although the Tory green image is starting to attract the attention of international media, like the Washington Post, the Canadian media recognizes that going green isn't as easy as doling out money for research, rebates, preservation and repair.

Going green requires more than a breezy image revamp. It requires directed action on the one issue that Conservatives find too difficult to incorporate into their "so-called" green plan- greenhouse gas emissions.

The Conservatives are trying to change colours from blue to green. But their plan needs to consider the sage advice of Kermit the frog: "It's not easy being green."