Can a company simultaneously promote water conservation and conspicuous consumption? Kohler Company has done an admirable job of developing and promoting plumbing fixtures and trim that help conserve water, including flushometer tank toilets and waterless urinals. And, they have worked hard to make water conservation part of their company's branding. At last fall's GreenBuild show, a banner above the Kohler booth proclaimed the company as, "The Water Conservation Company".

A similar theme is visible in the recent ad on the right, proclaiming, "Bold. Conservation." But while this ad ran in National Geographic, the ad on the left, showing a shower system with very high water consumption, ran in Wired.

I respect niche marketing, but I also respect integrity. To my way of thinking, their water conservation positioning goes down the drain when they also promote such wasteful showering.

Let us know what you think. And for further discussion, see EcoGeek.