Two days removed from celebrating Earth Day, I thought it would be appropriate to write a column about this suddenly relevant "green" movement that is rapidly spreading across the United States.
The good news is, this green movement, more or less prevalent in colleges and universities since the 1960s, is finally catching up to mainstream America, and more importantly, corporate America.
The green movement is hitting businesses in many different ways. Some are manufacturing products to cater to consumer demand; some are using sustainability to reduce costs. And a few are doing it out of the kindness of corporate philanthropy, and to set a better example for other businesses.
With gas dangerously creeping near $4 per gallon, one of the more popular aspects of the green movement is finding alternative means of transportation. One company trying to make a difference is Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the nation's largest car rental company. Enterprise currently has the most fuel-efficient fleet in America, with almost 440,000 vehicles that get 28 miles per gallon or better - 5,000 of which are hybrids. Enterprise also pledged to plant 50 million trees in America's forests.
Other environmentally friendly companies have been rewarding employees who use alternative means of transportation to get to work, whether it is by mass transit, carpool, or even bike. Pangea Organics, a company based in Boulder, Colo., offers mass transit passes for free to any employee who wants one. The company also built a large locker room facility in its headquarters so that employees have a place to change and freshen up if they choose to bike to work.
The green movement has reached limits as far as Major League Baseball. For anyone who watched the Sox beat the Angels on Tuesday, they would have noticed a cool logo on the jersey, incorporating the universal recycle symbol and the Red Sox logo. But more importantly, the Red Sox received an Environmental Merit Award from the Environmental Protection Agency to commend the organization for their commitment to sustainability.
The Sox are getting green in a few different ways. First, the team will be installing solar panels on Fenway Park this May, which will be used to heat water used in the stadium. Also, the stadium now has the "Poland Spring Green Team," a group of volunteers who go around the stadium and collect used plastic bottles. And among many other initiatives, Fenway is now serving food and beverages in recyclable, environmentally friendly containers.
Consumer products are also becoming greener. Coca-Cola, for instance, was challenged by Greenpeace to create a more efficient vending machine. As they are now, standard vending machines are incredibly inefficient, run 24 hours a day, and pollute harmful HFCs to the environment. Since then, Coke invested $40 million in a super efficient, non-polluting machine. The only problem is getting distributors to pay the extra price for the machines.
Another consumer products company, Procter & Gamble, has also pledged to improve sustainability. Even the little things, like selling the MegaRoll of Charmin toilet paper, are ways to be more efficient because more product per carton means less overall packaging, and therefore less waste. The company also claims to be working on reducing its carbon footprint by pledging to reduce energy use and waste by at least 30 percent over the next five years.
These companies, while they are making a positive impact, are not on top of the corporate green ladder. Fortune magazine determined the top 10 green companies, and you might be surprised by a few of the companies that made the list.
First is Honda, owner of the world's most efficient vehicle lineup. The Japanese company also has natural gas and hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in the works, hoping to curb the world's dependence on oil.
Another company on the list is S.C. Johnson, maker of many household goods. S.C. Johnson is commended for its effort to reduce harmful pollutants in many of its products, including the popular Windex and Saran Wrap.
One company you might not have expected to see is Goldman Sachs. Goldman, the well-respected investment bank, has been heavily investing in alternative forms of energy as part of its environmental policy. While the investments are doing particularly well, the company is commended for its commitment to the environment.
Hewlett-Packard also made the list. HP was recognized for its e-waste recycling plants, large facilities designed to recycle electronics. The plant will accept any brand of computer, and HP's own computers are 100 percent recyclable.
Other companies that made the list were Swiss Re, PG&E, Alcan, Tesco, Suncor, and Continental Airlines.
Be the first to comment on this article!