The ongoing recession may be holding down consumer spending overall, but according to Reuters, it hasn’t stopped Americans from buying green. So what’s one to read into that information?

Well, for starters it’s evidence that there are times when American consumers are moved by more than simple bottom-line concerns. Like when they’re making choices about what to put into their bodies and their children’s bodies. It also indicates pretty strongly that concern about environmental matters, specifically those related to the use of toxins in agriculture, haven’t given way to the economic worries that have hit so close to home for many of us. And that at least hints that the organic/sustainable products category will probably take off like crazy whenever the country fully emerges from this economic downturn.

It’s also a nice signpost for those looking to break into new industries or, more to the point, open new businesses. A category that’s counterintuitively growing during a recession would at least seem like a pretty good category to be part of. And all the better if you can find away to do it Trader Joe’s style, which is to say by combining organic/sustainable with affordable and, drum roll please, fun.

For us, it’s an indication that when you’ve got a winner your best route to making it work in any economic conditions is to stay true to yourself and your mission.

You know what you can bet won’t see a dip in sales this holiday season? The Hess truck. Actually this year, it’s not a truck at all; it’s a race car – a big old Russian doll or a race car, in fact, with a little racer inside. Very, very cool. As usual. Which is one of the reasons this year’s truck will sell out as quickly as any of the 44 holiday season toys that came before it. Another, bigger one, is that Hess has created an incredible brand identity for its trucks. They did it by staying true to Leon Hess’s original vision, which was to create a fun, well made toy that he could sell at a price families could afford. Hess hasn’t cut back on quality over the years. It still puts out a well designed and very neat toy vehicle every November. And you still have to get to a Hess station pretty early in the season if you want to be sure to get one before they sell out. Because at $24.99, batteries included (who else does that?), you’re not going to find a better gift at any mall or specialty store. That’s how you maintain a strong brand.

The Corner Office column in the Sunday New York Times is always a good read. Last Sunday’s column, an interview with Dreamworks Animation SKG co-founder and chief executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, though, should be assigned reading for every business decision maker in America.

Pay particular attention to Katzenberg’s response to the question “How has your leadership style evolved?” That’s where you get this quote: “If you stop being creative and innovative, you’re finished.”

You know what? That condition’s not nearly so specific to the movie business as you, or Katzenberg, might think. Not every business needs to push the boundaries the way SKG does, of course. But it’s a matter of degrees, not absolutes. You’ve got to think different and be different within your industry and your marketplace if you’re going to win these days.

Things aren’t moving. And one of the reasons they aren’t moving is that a lot of decision makers are still afraid to make the kind of decisions that can get them moving. You’ve got to be willing to get behind creative thinking, and to take some kind of risk, to make it work out there. And the fact that you’re not in the movie business is no excuse for not pushing ahead and finding ways to stand out.