Rather than building a water filtration plant, which costs hundreds of millions of dollars annually to run and maintain, New York City government has instead chosen to invest in protecting the natural watershed in the Catskill Mountains.  By purchasing the watershed land, New York City can maintain and manage the natural filtration provided by the watershed.

3M initiated the Pollution Prevention Pays (3P) Program in 1975.  This program reflects 3M’s philosophy that all of their waste, energy use, and water use is a sign of their inefficiencies.  Through 5,000 3P programs over the years, 3M has saved over 2.2 billion pounds of pollutants.  This saved them $1 billion in the first year alone.

When IBM began tracking their environmental impact in 1990, they were producing nearly 7 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.  Since then, IBM has implemented emission-reduction projects that saved half that amount.  In 2009 alone, IBM put $96 million towards these projects, which resulted in over $150 million cost savings in addition to the emissions reductions.

In 1990, McDonald’s partnered with the non-profit Environmental Defense with the goal of reducing their waste. They focused on packaging: by getting rid of the Styrofoam packaging, switching to unbleached paper, increasing the recycled content of their napkins, and influencing their suppliers, McDonald’s became an early leader in conservation efforts.

DuPont successfully cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 65% from 1990 – 2010, and kept their energy use the same while increasing productivity.  They enjoyed an increase in revenues, as well as an increase in renewable energy sourcing.  These efforts have saved DuPont over $3 billion.

During a routine remodel of a local ReMax office, the facility manager decided to implement energy-saving measures, including sealing the windows, doors, and ductwork.  This simple investment saves the office $7,900 annually in heating/cooling costs.