Going Green
A growing trend is emerging that seems to be taking over the Business world. Companies in all different industries are jumping on the band wagon and going green; if you have not heard this concept you will soon. Going green is a way to conserve energy and slow down the effects of global warming.
Although our earth has been suffering from Global Warming for quite some time it is has not received such wide attention until the last couple years. This topic moved center stage in November 2007 when Al Gore was featured in the film, “An Inconvenient Truth.” Gore’s portrayal in this film caught people’s attention, and raised awareness of our planet’s condition. This film had a global impact that fueled a change not only in homes, but also in businesses.
The majority of our energy source is consumed by companies. Every day millions of Americans spend eight to ten hours at work. How they use their resources has an effect on how much energy is wasted. Many businesses are doing their part to save the planet by recycling, changing light bulbs to energy-saving bulbs, going paperless, turning off computers when not in use, unplugging all appliances, turning off the lights when they leave, and keeping blinds closed to keep buildings cooler. These may seem like simple steps, but they have a big impact our environment.
On a larger scale the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making a major impact in the way companies are operated. The EPA is a governmental agency concerned with the environment and its impact on human health. They have put together the “Fortune 500 Green Power Challenge,” which encourages companies to purchase green power and shift to renewable energy. The companies involved in this challenge have made a huge leap towards going green. Here are the companies that made the top ten:
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1
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Intel Corporation
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2
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PepsiCo
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3
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Wells Fargo & Company
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4
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Whole Foods Market
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5
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The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc.
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6
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Johnson & Johnson
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7
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Cisco Systems, Inc.
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8
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Kohl’s Department Stores
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9
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Starbucks
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10
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DuPont Company
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If you want to be involved in the trend to go green there is an enormous amount of resources available to help you on the Web. You can also look at the companies that are listed above and learn more about what they have done to be in the top ten. Any contribution you make to save energy will help to save our planet. It doesn’t matter if you are an employee or the owner of numerous companies around the world; you can make a difference.
