Tracking Performance with the EPA

The program encourages companies to go above and beyond their legal requirements for environmental protection. In addition to tracking their environmental efforts, members must set and meet four goals that improve air, water and land quality.

Launched in 2000, the facility-based program has 497 members in 49 states, totaling reductions in water use of 5.6 billion gallons, greenhouse gas reductions of 159,000 tons of carbon dioxide and have conserved more than 25,000 acres of land.

Some of the members include Coca-Cola of North America, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, 3M Company, Michelin, Inc., Xerox Corporation and even the U.S. National Park Service.

About 60 of the 496 members have more than one facility, but even so, that only averages about 10 members per state. These companies and the program are exemplars for green business, and hopefully will encourage more businesses to pick up their slack.