Legislation, societal demands, and common morality have been contributing factors in the decisions of United States consumers and people all over the world are demanding a more responsible look at current environmental measures. Due to the implementation of policies and standards in the past five years, the world’s economic landscape has changed over the greatly, but these drastic changes are just the beginning. Here’s a look at some of the headlines since 2005 that discuss some of the most progressive changes we’ve mad thus far in how we approach energy usage.

9 States in Plan to Cut Emissions by Power Plants

Source: The New York Times
August 24, 2005

This 9-State agreement set a new standard for other states and even other countries to follow. Officials in New York and eight other Northeastern states came to an agreement to freeze power plant emissions at their current levels and to reduce them by 10 percent by 2020.

Wall Street’s Green Machines

Source: Fortune via CNNMoney
October 25 2006

The market demanded it, so Wall Street had to perform. This article analyzes how companies reacted to increasing consumer demand for protecting the environment and taking a step in the “green direction.” The bandwagon following the Wall Street initiative spiraled into a wide-range of companies trying to find ways to make their products green.

Extreme Green: “Freegans” Live On Garbage

Source: CBS News
October 8, 2007

“Extreme Green” individuals are on the rise. People like the “Freegans” (a combination of “free” and “vegan”) have started popping up, going to measures as far as digging through other’s trash for usable discards. “Freegans” oppose over-consumption waste. The group hopes to press an environmental message while helping the underprivileged by providing food aid. A majority of the members of the “Freegans” are well-educated, and are not homeless.

Obama Signs Stimulus Packed With Clean Energy Provisions

Source: The New York Times
February 17, 2009

President Barack Obama signed the $787 billion stimulus package which included provisions for home energy improvements throughout the United States. The plan promotes clean energy and home performance initiatives that aim to reduce costly waste of electricity and gas in America’s homes. The article highlights the beneficiaries of the bill and also points out future costs and advantages to its implementation.

2009 Green Rankings for US Companies

Source: Newsweek
2009

Starting in 2009, Newsweek began ranking the greenest companies in America. Needless to say, making this list means a significant amount of positive coverage for those profiled. The magazine worked with leading environmental researchers KLD Research & Analytics, Trucost, and CorporateRegister.com to rank the 500 largest U.S. companies based on their actual environmental performance, policies, and reputation. Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Johnson & Johnson ranked in the top 3 respectively.

Obama: Clean Energy Jobs in US, Not Abroad

Source: WH.gov
January 10, 2010

This video shows that President Obama aims to put the focus back on jobs, American workers, and the environment. In his speech, Pres. Obama defines the importance of green jobs and their effect on the American economy, and the effects of America’s energy contribution to the world. The speech Pres. Obama delivers, gives a status update on his Recovery Act, and also sketches out his plan to keep American jobs growing.