Large-Scale Sustainability: Big Businesses Are Going Green

You do all you can to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. You recycle, shop locally, use compact fluorescent light bulbs and maybe even bike to work on occasion. But doing your part for the environment also means being an informed consumer. Buying goods from and doing business with green companies gives you the opportunity to have an even greater positive impact and support the causes you believe in. Some companies are trying harder than others.

IBM

IBM ranks number one on The Daily Beast’s list of green technology companies. The company scores high on both environmental impact and environmental management and design products made from materials that can be recycled or safely disposed of. IBM has also expanded the number of systems it produces that qualify for the EPA-sponsored Energy Star program.

Omnitracs

Omnitracs supplies software for commercial vehicles to help fleet companies improve mobile management, meet fuel and safety compliance regulations and operate more efficiently. Omnitracs’ new EOBR system helps companies stay in compliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which means safer and more efficient transport of goods across the U.S.

Coca-Cola

It may surprise you to learn that one of the largest food companies in the U.S. is also one of the greenest. The Coca-Cola Company earns big green points as a member of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, developing internationally recognized criteria for defining “sustainable agriculture.” Coca-Cola works to help family farms run more efficiently while reducing environmental impact and increasing production.

Office Depot

Its use of bio-fueled vehicles and sustainable resources and its energy efficiency and recycling programs put Office Depot at the top of the list for greenest retail companies. Office Depot’s Green Fleet, a line of electric delivery vehicles, is setting an industry example in London, England, and Portland, Ore., for fast, free and environmentally responsible local delivery.

Hess

Hess may not be the first giant energy company that comes to mind, but maybe it should be. Hess has stated an intention to reduce the carbon intensity of its emissions by 20% in 2013. The company diligently screens the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List before conducting surveys and also stays educated on local lists of endangered or threatened species wherever it conducts business.

What makes a company green? Just like you, these big companies and scores of others are taking large and small steps that make a positive difference on the environment. By reducing factory waste, relying on energy-efficient machinery and construction methods and investing in initiatives to help their communities, even giant organizations can take pride in the steps they’re taking to keep it green.