3 Businesses That Give Back to the Environment

By Dennis Hung

Indisputably, large national corporations, as well as regional and locally owned businesses, play a pivotal role in economic development in the United States. However, they also contribute to ecological, environmental and natural resource destruction, which impedes the interaction between humans and their surroundings. Recent environmental issues, such as climate change, deforestation, loss of biodiversity and ozone depletion, continue to plague the nation and the world.

Fortunately, a number of companies are taking momentous and proactive initiatives toward environmental stewardship. Motivated to make a difference through impact avoidance, ecosystem restoration and natural resource protection, these companies are finding innovative ways to incorporate novel approaches in their business practices that foster a long-term vision of sustainability. Here are three of my favorites:

Water and ecology: Skydrop

Water is fundamental to life on this planet. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. But 97.5 percent is salt water; 70 percent of the remaining freshwater is frozen; and thus only 1 percent is accessible for humans, which makes water and water conservation a priority environmental issue.

The average American uses nearly 150 gallons of water per day, much of which goes down the drain. A common garden hose or sprinkler uses as much water in one hour as a family of four uses in one day (approximately 600 gallons). Skydrop, an innovator in water conservation, has developed the Skydrop WiFi Sprinkler Controller, a simple, cost-effective and energy efficient system. Not only does the WiFi Sprinkler Controller adhere to laws and regulations on water restrictions, but it also minimizes energy utilization and water consumption by conserving potable (drinkable) water sources and underground sources in aquifers. Fused with premium software and hardware, the features of the controller system include:

• Automatic adjustment to watering schedules to reduce wasteful watering


• Ability to calculate needed water as well as moisture lost each day


• Real-time monitoring of local weather data to cut down on redundant watering

The Skydrop Sprinkler Controller is vailable online or through Lowe’s Home Improvement at 1,750 stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Skydrop has been added to the list of devices that can receive a $150 rebate back from the government for residents in Nevada.

Fossil fuels and landfill: Subaru

Since the 1990s, Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) has been a trendsetter toward environmental responsibility, and it continues to be the nation’s most environmentally friendly car assembly plant. It was the first plant to go smoke-free, to introduce an on-site solvent recovery system and to be designated a wildlife habitat. It was also the first manufacturing facility to reach zero landfill status.

Additionally, every year Subaru actively recycles 99.3 percent of its excess materials and ships the rest (0.70 percent) to the city of Indianapolis to help generate steam. From 2006 to 2009, Subaru of Indiana received the Environmental Protection Agency‘s Gold Achievement Award as a top achiever in the agency's WasteWise program to reduce waste and improve recycling, the EPA’s WasteWise Gold Achievement Award for Industrial Recycling, the EPA’s WasteWise Gold Achievement Award for Climate Change, and the EPA’s WasteWise Gold Achievement Award for Community Involvement.

Finally, Subaru’s Smartway Vehicles are the most fuel efficient all-wheel drive vehicles in the U.S., and Subaru offers partial zero emissions vehicles (PZEV) with 90 percent cleaner emissions than even some hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles.

Paper and energy: Bank of America

In spite of the surge in online banking, the banking industry uses an incredible amount of paper and energy in their day-to-day operations. Over the last few years, Bank of America has initiated a number of policy changes and installed various green business operations such as wind-harnessing facilities. The company has developed employee and volunteer programs.

BOA even committed $50 billion in 2012 to global climate change in order to reduce its environmental footprint. Its My Environment and Environment Ambassadors programs engage employees and volunteers to educate staff members on environmental issues at their workplace and in their communities. The Bank of America Tower, the fourth tallest building in the U.S., is the first skyscraper awarded the U.S. Green Building Council’s Platinum LEED certification for eco-friendly features, including water recycling, waterless urinals and a cogeneration plant onsite. The company also offers $3,000 cash-back bonuses to employees that purchase hybrid vehicles.

Images: 1) Flickr/aigle_dore 2) Skydrop 3) Subaru 4) Bank of America 

Dennis Hung is a business and technology consultant. He's passionate about conservation and spends much of his time out of the office promoting conservation best practices.