Word: useful
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...most important steps that any company can take is to launch an all-out campaign to conserve energy. Such a drive can cut fuel bills sharply and at the same time reduce the pollution that contributes to smog, acid rain and the greenhouse effect. Most companies may think they use energy wisely, but few have invested in the most energy-efficient equipment and lighting systems. Contends Amory Lovins, director of research at the Colorado-based Rocky Mountain Institute: "The technology exists today to save 75% of the electricity and 80% of the oil used in the U.S. without lowering...
Along with curbing energy use, companies can take a hard look at the amount of waste they generate. Increasingly stringent environmental regulations have made it ever more expensive to clean up smokestacks and reduce releases of toxic chemicals. Thus, limiting factory waste can save money while it helps preserve the surrounding environment. Since 1975, the 3M company has cut its waste discharges in half by redesigning equipment, streamlining manufacturing processes and selling or reusing materials that used to be discarded. By not having to deal with that waste, 3M has so far saved $300 million...
Companies can also reduce costs by cutting back on elaborate packaging for their products. Paper, glass, metal and plastic packaging constitute 50% of U.S. garbage by volume and 30% by weight. To help shrink the mountains of wasted material, manufacturers should concentrate on using recyclable packaging. Procter & Gamble is test-marketing the use of recycled plastics in detergent and fabric-softener bottles. The firm says 70% of its packaging is made from recycled paper. Also, grocers could market more foods in bulk, requiring customers to supply their own reusable containers...
...meantime, the U.S. should begin to take unilateral action. The centerpiece of such a policy should be a comprehensive drive to cut gaseous emissions by conserving energy. Whether or not global warming is an imminent threat, curbing energy use would produce a more breathable atmosphere and reduce American dependence on unreliable foreign sources of fossil fuels...
...stimulating conservation. First, the federal gasoline tax should be increased substantially -- to at least 60 cents per gal., from the current 9 cents per gal., over the next four years. At the same time, the Government could begin setting up a program to tax the use of all fossil fuels. The size of the tax should vary according to how much carbon is released into the atmosphere when a particular fuel is burned. That would encourage a shift in consumption patterns away from high-pollution fuels like coal to cleaner ones like natural...