The Upside of the Crisis

 At the same time, the automobile company is finding new ways to reduce carbon emissions by using soybeans to develop seat cushion and headrest foam in eight of their vehicles, including the popular Mustang.

Ford, which currently makes seat belt clips from recycled water bottles, is also researching how to incorporate natural fibers, from hemp to coconut, to reinforce plastic parts.

“While the auto industry has been struggling as a whole, Ford sales and market share have risen due to the strength of our products in terms of smart technology and fuel efficiency,” says Octavio Navarro, a Ford spokesperson.

Late in 2011, Ford will introduce its first all-electric vehicle, the Transit Connect BEV small van, which will have a range of up to 80 miles on a full charge without emitting any greenhouse gases. The firm will follow up in 2011 with the Focus Electric, a small passenger vehicle, and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in 2012.

[Strong Amid the Storm]

Promerica Bank, the Los Angeles-based Latino community bank, is known for its loyalty and its solvency.

Promerica started operating in November of 2006 with $25 million and today is worth more than $100 million. The bank grew four times over while also declining to take a government bailout.

The key to success, according to founder María Contreras-Sweet, lies in the bank’s financial advice to small businesses during the crisis, and its decision to rally behind its customers.

 “If the bakery on the corner is doing badly, I go and call everyone I know to buy in that bakery and in that way we support our small businesses,” says Contreras-Sweet. “This is our big distinction, as compared to the national banks.”

Additionally, most of Promerica’s loan applications are done online and most of the clients use online banking, eliminating the costs associated with paper-based systems or multiple branches.

[Seaweed in Flight]

The airline industry’s plans to help protect the environment are finally taking off. One of those at the forefront of the action is Continental Airlines, which will release a new report in April outlining its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The airline is keeping hush-hush about the report’s contents, yet some think Continental will announce its intention to start using biofuel in commercial flights. Last year Continental ran a biofuel demo flight that emitted 60 to 80 percent fewer greenhouse gasses compared to traditional jet fuel.

It is still unknown whether such biofuel would be cheaper for the airline or consumers, but one significant advantage is that there would be no need to change the airplane’s engineering in order to use the new fuel.

Compared with other alternative fuels, Continental’s blend is made from algae and jatropha plants, natural resources that do not impact food crops or water resources or contribute to deforestation.

[Unnecessary Energy Consumption]

Americans throw away thousands of dollars on inefficient energy use each year. Pro Energy Consultants saw this problem as an opportunity to audit household energy consumption by identifying the most vulnerable areas for waste and the most wasteful appliances.

 Mark Cannella, one of the founders of Pro Energy Consultants, explains that an electronic blower machine, which is installed in an exterior door, takes x-rays of a client’s home by using infrared thermal imaging to identify all the hidden energy leakage from the house. This test takes between one and three hours, depending of the size of the home.

“Many think that just by changing the windows the problem [of energy leakage] will be solved, but this isn’t true,” says Cannella. “Windows only account for 17 percent of space in the house.”

Cannella, who is based in Cleveland, Ohio, has expanded his business as more people become conscious about global warming and saving energy. Now Cannella is selling franchises to entrepreneurs that want to operate the business from home.

The energy audit has a base price of $300 and the sale of a franchise starts at $30,000 dollars. Since September 2008, the company had sold 52 franchises. One part of its appeal to franchisees is that the business model, which generates consulting revenue, does not have typical business expenses such as payroll, utilities, rent and inventory.

[Fewer Routes and Fewer Lights]

Conservation of energy should begin at home—especially for major retailers. After all they turn on thousand of lights every day and have the thermostat maxed out.

The Home Depot is at the forefront of reigning in waste. By 2015 the company anticipates reducing energy consumption by 20 percent in their U.S. stores, as well as reducing their emission of greenhouse gases by another 20 percent. The home retailer’s plan rests on creating more efficient routes for the transportation of its goods to stores. Within five years, The Home Depot says it will reduce the number of miles goods are transported by 200 million every year. This is the equivalent to an annual savings of 25 million gallons of fuel, or 8,000 trips around the world.

The company also has reported achieving significant advances in reducing energy consumption and claims their stores have saved 2.6 million kilowatt hours of energy since 2004. Obviously, the financial crisis has also influenced the purchase of over 90 million Energy Star certified products in The Home Depot in 2009. The company further reports that the sale of more than 6 million faucets, flow reducers and toilets has saved customers at least 1,800 million gallons of water.