In the 80’s the mantra ‘greed is good’ defined the lifestyle of Yuppies, but now, according to Chuck Failla, this has been replaced with the mantra ‘green is good’, and Scuppies - Yuppies with a social conscious, have emerged as the new lifestyle of choice.

Failia, a president of a successful financial planning firm, believes it is possible to be successful, live well and do good all at once, and coined the term Scuppie when he got sick of being called a Yuppie. He is now hoping Scuppie will take its place in the American lexicon as the natural evolution of the Hippie-Preppie-Yuppie progression.

"Vast hordes of Scuppies already roam the urban and suburban landscape,” says Failla. “You can find them at the local Starbucks, listening to World music and earnestly asking the barista whether the espresso is ground from free-trade beans.

“These days, more Americans not only want to live well, but want to also do good (or at least do no evil). They still love money and conspicuous displays of affluence. But now, the way to achieve status is to trade in the Beemer for a Toyota Prius, spend $50,000 putting solar panels on the roof, and acquire a chic new wardrobe fashioned entirely of organic cotton, hemp and soy fiber.”

When it comes to the environment, Failia, who is currently penning ‘The Scuppie Handbook: A Practical Guide to Living Well while Doing Good’, describes Scuppies as those who care about global warming, but are not quite ready to quit driving to work and go live on an organic farm in Vermont.

Other examples of Scuppies include someone who owns a mahogany table – but only if it’s made from wood salvaged from 100-year-old houses in Sao Paulo; someone who uses a credit card that donates to charity, and couples who forget about notions of pedigree and get their pet from the local shelter rather than a breeder.

More examples of what defines a Scuppie can be found at www.scuppie.com