Recycling, turning off the lights,  drinking tap water vs. bottled water, using renewable products are all winning strategies to help our nation go green.  But sometimes it feels like a single person’s efforts amount to  just a tiny drop in the ocean.   When I walk my dogs and see garbage along Dry Creek, it makes me sad.  It seems like no matter how hard I try, there are 1000’s of people who don’t care.  Changing that tide is Gen-Y’s responsibility.

I think the best way to make a difference, is to vote with our dollars.  Let’s reward companies that are creating sustainable practices.  The Global 100 publishes a list of the top 100 green companies accross the globe.

20 US companies made the list.  We need to support these companies and be loud about it.  Let companies know that they will lose market share if they don’t start looking for sustainable practices.  I may not be able to make a big difference on my own, but if my generation makes an effort to vote with their dollars, I’ll bet we can change the world pretty fast.

These are the top 20 Green US companies in 2009:

Advanced Micro Devices - Information Technology
Alcoa Inc - Materials
Amazon.com Inc - Consumer Discretionary
Baxter International Inc - Health Care
Coca Cola Company - Consumer Staples
Dell Inc - Information Technology
Eastman Kodak Company - Consumer Discretionary
FPL Group Inc - Utilities
Genzyme Corp. - Health Care
Goldman Sachs Group Inc - Financials
Hewlett-Packard Company - Information Technology
Intel Corp. - Information Technology
Nike Inc - Consumer Discretionary
PG & E Corp. - Utilities
Pinnacle West Capital Corp. - Utilities
Procter & Gamble Company - Consumer Staples
Prologis - Financials
State Street Corp. - Financials
The Walt Disney Company - Consumer Discretionary
United Technologies Corp. - Industrials