Companies Increasingly Going Green

There are currently no laws in the United States regulating greenhouse gases comparable to other developed countries under the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. But, many U.S. businesses are willingly looking for ways to reduce their harmful emissions, according to an article in The New York Times. The Timberland Co., Stratham, N.H., chose to build a wind farm, utilize solar panels and change the diet of their leather-producing cattle in an effort to reduce their harmful emissions. Many other companies are engaging in similar efforts to improve their image, control rising energy costs and please shareholders and consumers. According to The New York Times, analysts predict the United States will pass laws limiting harmful emissions. For now, companies already moving in the green direction are ahead of higher energy prices, the cost of pollution and American products encountering difficulty competing in markets abroad due to other countries who have already reduced emissions.