stores galore with more and more

i keep updated on the new design stores which arrive in new york. i like to know what's going on in consumerism and design and how the two worlds meet. what i find fascinating is that there is more and more evidence of products geared towards green consumers. we are created a whole new palate of objects and items for sale that have a green tag tied to them. great. i love recycled, reused, refurbished items. i want them. but now i'm scared because alongside all the other stores selling non green items, we have more stores selling green items. question is: are we as consumers being green if we are buying green objects that we probably don't need? what's the difference between buying regular stuff and buying green stuff? aren't we consuming the same amount of energy to move that green product? this is not an original question, but one that still is yet to be answered.