How Top U.S. Businesses are Saving Energy in the "Greenhouse" Era

Recent changes in the weather, disasters like Katrina, the Oscar-winning documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," and President Bush's push for fuel alternatives to oil have made people more aware of the fact that we have to make changes if we want to preserve our environment.

Besides environment concerns, businesses are worried that consumers can change their way of thinking when it comes to products that can harm the earth's atmosphere.

Using less energy, producing less waste, recycling heat-trapping carbon emissions, are some of the ways companies show they care about the planet.

McDonald's took steps 15 years ago to reduce its packaging.

Starbucks has also chosen a digital platform to interact with customers. They will soon launch the Planet Green Game at www. planetgreengame.com. They are hoping that by engaging young people, who spend a lot of time online, that this will be a way of getting to learn how much we all need to help. if we want to save our planet.

The auto industry is also aware of global warming and are trying to do their share.

There is a new type of technology that is being used in the Vanguard minivan. Various technologies have been used for several years, but all of the technologies that have been developed, have never been used in one vehicle. For the first time, all technologies that have been discovered, is now being used in one vehicle, the Vanguard

Automakers are happy about the fact that they can put all the newest technology into one van because of the recent concern over the dangers of global warming. This gives the auto industry a new role in fighting environmental concerns.

The automakers have enough existing technology to be able to cut emission of the greenhouse gas by 40%.

To prove this discovery, a scientist group revealed a blueprint for a climate friendly minivan called the Vanguard. The scientists ran this vanguard with a blend of 85% gasoline and 15% ethanol. With this blend, they were able to get 22 miles per gallon driving a combination of city and highway driving. This is equivalent to 28 miles per gallon on conventional gasoline, they said. This is a savings of six miles per gallon.