In his latest State of the Union Address, George Bush laid out his goal for a 20% reduction in gas consumption over the next decade. He talked about the urgency of alternative energy sources such as ethanol and setting higher fuel efficiency standards.
Sadly
, he neglected to mention the huge role you and I can play.
Our daily habits, whether its carpooling to work or supporting 'green' companies, all have an impact. Services like
ZipCar make reserving a car for occasional needs (instead of owning one) as hassle-free as renting a day-locker at the gym, and companies like
Better World Club offer full-featured roadside assistance without the anti-environmental lobbying of AAA. These companies and others like them reflect a growing breed of corporate consciousness that all of us, as consumers, have the ability to empower.