You may not expect the world's most notable theme park company, which markets consumerism, fantasy and a unending procession of food concessions, to take on its Dumbo-sized ecological footprint. But Disney has some past eco-credentials, including: a $45 million investment to protect the Everglades; a conservation fund thus far supporting 750 projects in 110 countries; and, achieving Florida Green Lodging certification for it's resorts. The entertainment giant encourages personal action as well, suggesting a range of environmentally-friendly steps to employees and visitors.

Most companies go for cautious targets of incremental sustainability goals since it is sometimes difficult to know exactly how much all that Earth saving is going to cost. This concern is especially relevant in this wildly uncertain economic times; however Disney is going forward with gusto.

Their long-term goals include zero net direct and indirect (from electricity) greenhouse gas emissions, zero waste, and a net positive impact on ecosystems.

However, it's easy to say "we'll get to that at some point in the future." The company also has medium-term targets to keep them on track:
- Reducing fuel consumption 50% by 2012
- Decreasing solid waste to landfills by 1/2 in 2013
- Making habitat protection an explicit part of all new construction projects.

Maybe what impresses me most about their aspirations is that they know what their emissions are and where they're coming from, with charts detailing these stats in the report. Same for waste. It shows me that these are serious efforts with concrete targets.

It's always possible they'll pull some Goofy move, back out, and blame it on the implosion of capitalism. But Disney knows they will be watched closely to see how they measure up. Personally, I can't wait to see the PV panels on the Cinderella Castle.