Can Hemp Dashboards Be Far Behind?
Union leader, Ford call for green progress in Detroit
Could Big Auto be shifting gears? Speaking at a business conference on Michigan's (car-free) Mackinac Island yesterday, Ford Motor Company Chair Bill Ford Jr. and United Automobile Workers President Ron Gettelfinger both addressed the need for Detroit to get with the green program. "Unfortunately, there is an impression among the car-buying public that the Big Three build nothing but gas guzzlers, while Toyota is a division of Greenpeace," Gettelfinger said. "If the auto industry continues to be seen as dragging its feet on environmental issues, it's going to hurt our brands and vehicles in the marketplace." Ford said his company will push to fight that perception, and got in a little told-you-so moment: "When I talked about the environment 20 years ago -- or frankly even five years -- many people thought I was eccentric at best or perhaps incredibly naive." With a key Senate debate on fuel economy standards set to begin June 11, Ford and other automakers are hoping to find a workable solution.
Union leader, Ford call for green progress in Detroit
Could Big Auto be shifting gears? Speaking at a business conference on Michigan's (car-free) Mackinac Island yesterday, Ford Motor Company Chair Bill Ford Jr. and United Automobile Workers President Ron Gettelfinger both addressed the need for Detroit to get with the green program. "Unfortunately, there is an impression among the car-buying public that the Big Three build nothing but gas guzzlers, while Toyota is a division of Greenpeace," Gettelfinger said. "If the auto industry continues to be seen as dragging its feet on environmental issues, it's going to hurt our brands and vehicles in the marketplace." Ford said his company will push to fight that perception, and got in a little told-you-so moment: "When I talked about the environment 20 years ago -- or frankly even five years -- many people thought I was eccentric at best or perhaps incredibly naive." With a key Senate debate on fuel economy standards set to begin June 11, Ford and other automakers are hoping to find a workable solution.
[ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ]
straight to the source: The New York Times, Nick Bunkley, 01 Jun 2007
straight to the source: The Detroit News, David Shepardson, 01 Jun 2007
straight to the source: Reuters, 31 May 2007
see also, in Grist: Speaking in Detroit, Obama tells Big Auto where to go
Check Baby Check Baby One Two ... 300
Wachovia, fourth-largest U.S. bank, plans to build 300 green branches
The fourth-largest bank in the U.S. will build only green branches by the end of 2008, aiming for 300 eco-friendly offices by 2010. Wachovia, based in Charlotte, N.C., is expanding into California and will begin its green experiment there. It is also seeking LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for a financial center built in Texas last year, and a 1.2-million-square-foot office tower under construction in Charlotte. The move -- expected to save each branch $80,000 in construction costs and 20 percent in operating costs -- "makes sense on several fronts," says Patrick Mumford, the bank's head of environmental affairs. "It's an extension of our commitment to communities. Our customers and employees are also interested in how Wachovia responds to environmental change." Wachovia is also interested in keeping up with the big(ger) guys: Citibank and Bank of America, the country's two largest banks, have both recently pledged billions of dollars to environmental projects.
[ email | discuss | + digg | + del.icio.us ]
straight to the source: The Charlotte Observer, Associated Press, Ieva M. Augstums, 31 May 2007
straight to the source: Reuters, Jonathan Stempel, 30 May 2007
No comments:
Post a Comment