On Wednesday Joel Makower published a well thought out and well written article, "Green Marketing is Over. Let's Move On." The central points were "green marketing isn't changing consumers' minds, is ignored by the biggest marketers, isn't changing things, misleads consumers and doesn't give companies credit where it's due."

As a marketing firm that specializes in social change marketing, we have been on the "front lines" of this movement for over 20 years; first as a nonprofit, then working with small companies with sustainability in their DNA and, finally, with Fortune 100 firms jumping in for the first time. We have seen green waves come and go. Each time the tide rises a little higher. The bar is raised and more people participate. As with any tide, this one is receding and everyone wonders if that's the end of it. Spoiler alert: It's not!

With great respect and admiration to my good friend, Joel, most of what he says is correct when viewed from a business perspective, selling products primarily based on environmental attributes. To see it from the consumer perspective, let's reconstruct the arguments and tie some key points together.

1. It's not working. Consumers are confused. They don't trust companies but they do trust brands. Companies that align sustainability and profitability aren't "believable."

Consumers are confused. It is true. We've seen it in action in many instances. For example, after six years of running an award-winning retail program specifically designed to educate mainstream consumers on what organic means, they still don't know. There is simply too much misinformation for consumers to know whom to trust.

The notion that they trust brands but not companies doesn't go far enough though. Consumers don't trust companies or brands. Why? Brands haven't earned their trust in the environmental space. Too many brands jumped on the green bandwagon thinking that they could sell their products by slapping on a green sheen. Their actions created this trust backlash regarding all things green.

Consumers develop trust with every successful brand but with parameters. Step outside of those parameters and brands must re-earn that trust. Ever heard of Ben-Gay Aspirin or Colgate Kitchen Entrees. Didn't think so. Consumers didn't extend the considerable trust they had in the brands to those categories. The environmental space is no different. If a brand's consumer value proposition doesn't have an environmental aspect, the brand is starting over.

The brands that have successfully gained consumer trust in the environmental space have earned it through their actions, not by trying to pull the communications wool over consumers' eyes.

2. It remains a niche activity and is missing the bigger picture. Only two of 2010's top 10 advertisers tried in earnest to participate in green marketing and one of those, GE, is mostly B2B. Meanwhile GreenBiz is writing about some of the biggest consumer products companies making significant accomplishments and/or setting far-reaching goals that most consumers will never know about.

No one can really argue that the largest advertisers are cautious about participating. Nor can we argue that everyday many companies are focused on reducing their environmental impact because it makes good business sense.