Everywhere you turn these days, U.S. companies going green are making headlines. Coca-Cola just announced a plan to reduce the amount of water used in its manufacturing process. Home Depot launched a program to help develop affordable and environmentally responsible housing units and plant three million trees nationwide. Staples is now taking back computers, monitors, and printers for recycling … and the list goes on. These were just a few of many environmental initiatives announcements released during one week last month - one week.

The sustainability trend is no longer taking place on the fringes of the U.S. marketplace, with small, socially conscious companies leading the charge. Environmentalism has made it to the mainstream, and many of the largest global companies are doing some heavy lifting.

Companies have taken a green approach in order to build their reputation and generate goodwill among consumers and regulators. They recognize that green initiatives will result in positive exposure. For others, it's just the socially and environmentally responsible thing to do. But perhaps the most interesting development is that many are realizing that going green can result in green - yielding cost-saving opportunities without compromising quality. They're also finding that even those sustainable initiatives that are slightly more expensive can bring about improved sales, resulting in increased profits.

It will be interesting to see whether the public's current fascination in - and demand for - greening will hold. But the dollars and cents reasons for adopting sustainable practices have the power to enact permanent change. After all, shareholders can't pocket goodwill.

What kind of influence will the meetings industry wield in the green arena? Will organizations begin to make decisions about where to hold their meetings based on destinations' environmental efforts across all fronts? I thought about this when I heard recently that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has vowed to replace all of the city's 13,000 licensed taxis with hybrid vehicles over the next four years. Will a program like this help sway a group to bring its meeting to the Big Apple?

Even if a city's efforts to be more sustainable don't factor into your site selection process because your organization is not particularly "environmentally conscious," greening your meetings still deserves serious attention. Because again, social and environmental responsibility aside, even just a few initiatives can enhance your organization's bottom line.

Last month, PCMA held a Masters Series session, "EC [Environmentally Conscious] is the New PC," in Chicago. Green business expert Joel Makower presided over a lively discussion of environmental trends and how associations can help reduce the service industry's environmental footprint. I'm interested to hear more about what your organization is doing in light of the greening trend, and what you think corporate America, the meetings industry, government, and the general public can do. E-mail me your thoughts at Deborah.Sexton@pcma.org.