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LONG BEFORE GAS PRICES STARTED HITTING A HIGH NOTE, I impulsively bought a hybrid car. Looks like I'll soon have lots of company.

The Economic News reports that “Toyota plans to sell 240,000 to 250,000 hybrid vehicles in 2005…which would be nearly double 2004 sales of 130,000 units.” And Toyota isn't alone. Ford, Honda and Toyota presented their new hybrid (that is, gas- and electric-powered) cars at the Sierra Club's first-ever national conference.

Well, sure, you say — everyone is grabbing hybrids because of the gasoline crisis. That's part of it, but personal experience tells me another motivation is that it feels good to think you might be doing something to fix some of the mess the world is in, even if it is just cutting back a tiny bit of the oil companies' profits. And, because of minimal emissions, containing global warming.

Just because hybrids are hot, does that mean consumers have found redemption by becoming eco-conscious? Quite possibly.

I surprised myself because after I got the car, I didn't stop there. I started to evaluate everything I owned for its effect on the environment. When the washer died it was replaced with a model that cleans better, yet uses less water and heating. The coordinating dryer, with its own energy-saving devices, dries faster and more efficiently. Anticipated cost to run the washer: $9 per year in energy expenses; the dryer, $12 per year.

Energy Star (www.energystar.gov) is a government-backed program that helps businesses and individuals protect the environment. Energy Star product sales are up. The New York Times reported recently that these certified dishwashers now account for 21.1%, refrigerators 11.8% and the efficient washer/dryer combo I bought (which admittedly is a bit pricey) makes up 7% of all such sales for home use. If you think those numbers are small, watch them grow when consumers start seeing the effect of the energy crisis on their gas and electric bills.

Other energy-saving sectors are gaining ground as well. The Financial Times notes that worldwide sales of wind, solar and fuel-cell power grew from $9.5 billion in 2002 to $16 billion in 2004; it's expected to be $102.4 billion by 2014. And others agree that energy-saving markets are poised for expansion: “The solar market is projected to grow 35% a year for the next three to five years,” according to Walter V. Nasdeo, managing director of New York investment bank Ardour Capital, quoted in The New York Times.

Consumers are waking up to reality when it comes to the environment. Yale University's June environmental poll found that nine out of 10 Americans are worried about such issues.

Alaska is one very clear and extreme example. Earthdive.com quotes a scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council saying this past summer that “people in Alaska are starting to freak out…permafrost is melting, roads are buckling and forests have been infected with beetles because of a rise in temperature.” For Alaskans, global warming isn't just a theory.

The United States is considered way behind many countries in “green” technology. Sounds like an opportunity to me. So how do we bring this down to the micro level at which most of us do business?

One obvious way is to start testing more green products. It worked for Office Depot, as two-thirds of its paper sales are now recycled stock. That's up 373% from 2003.

The Center for a New American Dream found that 91% of students and 88% of parents are willing to spend more for environmentally friendly products, notes the Organic Consumers Association. Because of the fear of gas shortages, eroding shorelines and melting glaciers, consumers may actually be ready to cross the higher cost hurdle often associated with green products.

One of the industry's most respected catalogers, Seventh Generation (now part of Gaiam), has been offering eco-friendly products for 15 years. While I hope that the effect of a new green consciousness has nothing but positive effects on Seventh Generation and Gaiam, tight niche marketing is not the way to go for most of us.

We simply need to incorporate some green thinking into our overall game plan. Some catalogs already offer energy-saving products. But how often do we just bury these items in the catalog? Now is the time to use energy-efficient products as a marketing tool.

If you're attuned to this category, you'll soon learn that there's plenty of new stuff popping up in the market. For instance, AARP featured “Methusa-lights,” elegantly designed bulbs that can burn 24/7 for five years and use half the energy of a 100-watt bulb. Green Web sites abound and many of them recommend products or links that can lead to product ideas.

Then there's recycled paper. Everyone knows the story of Victoria's Secret virtually being forced by forest conservation organization Forest Ethics to move to 100% recycled paper, if only for clearance books. Unfortunately, judging from Web site ForestEthics.org — which due to the tussle with the cataloger now gets some 1,500 unique visitors per day — the group seems unsatisfied. Its home page still features Victoria's Secret as “Victoria's Dirty Secret — Catalogs [Equal] Clearcuts.”

Perhaps the answer is avoiding the problem to begin with.

Look into how recycled paper works with your budget and image and get over any outdated ideas. Yes, recycled can be more expensive than non-, but not always. Like any other commodity, it depends on availability and demand. And no, it does not print poorly. Mills have improved to the point where quality is virtually the same.

An increasing number of authors are asking to be printed on recycled paper, another indicator that a trend is forming. Be a step ahead of potential consumer concerns: Talk to your paper merchant or printer about how recycled might be right for your catalog.

Recycled also applies to products. Using the slogan “We want your underwear,” Patagonia has a program calling for used Capilene underwear to be returned to stores or service centers and then recycled, as the apparel cataloger puts it, to “live on.”

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KATIE MULDOON (kmuldoon@muldoonandbaer.com) is president of DM/catalog consulting firm Muldoon & Baer Inc., Palm Beach Gardens, FL.