including bio-fuels and natural gas. According to current calculations, such
means could save several million euros per year by 2012 and cut greenhouse
gas emissions from its road vehicles to 5 percent below 1990 levels, a target
that is in line with provisions of the international Kyoto Protocol.
IBM
This techno monster has responded to customer demand by launching its
“Project Big Green.” The program commits $1 billion per year to increase the
level of energy efficiency in the information technologies markets. Since the
program’s birth, IBM has been more heavily bombarded by customer
requests than ever before.
Build trust with regulatory authorities ...........................................
The maze of environmental regulations becomes more complex each day,
which in turn places a burden on regulatory agencies. As a result, regulators
place a high value on companies they can trust to do the right thing. Creating
a transparent audit trail and the means by which to access the wide range of
required documentation is a great way to build valuable goodwill with these
guys. Plus, it has been shown time and again that people like doing business
with companies they believe are on the up and up. When you comply with
environmental, employee, and consumer protection regulations of all kinds,
you are more likely to have a positive image in the public eye and in the
media. Provide full evidence of your compliance to all regulatory authorities,
and you can hardly lose.
Influence future events ......................................................................
If you don’t already know, you may be surprised to learn that mega-corporations
such as Xerox, Ford Motor Company, and Johnson & Johnson have joined
ranks with a host of powerful NGOs (non-governmental organizations) like
The Nature Conservancy and the National Wildlife Fund to become members
of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP). If that’s not enough, they have
also requested that the U.S. government “quickly enact strong national legisla-
tion to require significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.” According
to their promo, they believe that addressing the “climate change challenge
will create more economic opportunities than risks for the U.S. economy.”
Many businesses are also signing up for programs like the California Climate
Registry Voluntary Program and the U.S. Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse
Gases Program. Companies in the former program voluntarily report their
CO 2 emissions for the first year and then, after three years, their top six air
polluters, as well. Those businesses in the latter program — including utili-
ties such as Niagara Mohawk, Houston Lighting and Power, and New England
Electric Systems, manufacturers like General Motors and Alcan Ingot, coal
166 Part III: Going Green
