Super Eco

Photo credit: ^Berd, flickr

The Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) is a non-profit organization that promotes renewable energy and encourages corporations to utilize clean energy sources for their business practices. Their Green-e program verifies which companies are doing the best job of using renewable energy and establishing carbon offsets. According to the Center, 2008 set a record for the most verified renewable energy usage in the Green-e program's history, with more than 2.8 Megawatt Hours (MWh) in purchases.

The leading participants in the program are Intel, Pepsico, Dell and Whole Foods. Since each of these companies uses a large amount of energy, they must verify that 20% of their total energy usage comes from renewable sources in order to receive the Green-e seal of approval. Smaller companies must use green energy or purchase credits for a much higher percentage of their energy output. The indie music label Sub-pop has been working with CRS since 2006, offsetting 100% of their energy usage.

As much as the eco-community embraces the grassroots strategy, it's naive to think we don't need major corporations to get the ball rolling. The more companies like Pepsico and Dell get involved in embracing carbon offsets and incorporating renewable energy into their business strategies, the easier it will be to convert others. Obviously, Exxon Mobil isn't yet on this list, and as long as they can continue to earn windfall profits, they'll have no reason to. I'm not sure which will be more effective—positive incentives to help them make the transition or stricter requirements to bully them. We must treat large corporations like our children. We can either punish or use positive reinforcement, or, at the very least, threaten not to take them to their corporate softball game.