Some companies like Google and Yahoo are proud of their Green programs, but watch out for what what comes from trying to position yourself as an advocate for the environment. Here is an MSNBC.com article pointing out Paul McCartney's receiving a Lexus Hybrid that was shipped by air instead of ship to save 2 weeks.
Paul McCartney chided for carbon footprint
Lexus had luxury hybrid sent to him in Britain by plane instead of ship
The 2008 Lexus LS600h, one of which was given by the company to Paul McCartney, is a hybrid that delivers more efficient performance while still proving fast at a top speed of 155 mph.
Best of all, it was to be a gift from the Lexus car company, which sponsored McCartney's 2005 tour of the United States.
But environmentalists quickly pointed out that the use of a cargo plane to deliver the car to England completely offset any environmental gains resulting from the car's use.
"It's like driving the car 300 times around the world," says Gary Rumbold, the director of the British branch of co2balance, which helps businesses and individuals gauge their carbon emissions footprint. "It seems like somebody at Lexus made an error in judgment. They wanted to get something to McCartney promptly, but it backfired. They should have waited a few weeks and sent it by ship."
The article points out that the action was an innocent victim, but you need to manage your supply chain to be green as well.
It was not clear if McCartney knew the vehicle would be sent to him via air freight rather than by ship. Rumbold said it seems likely the singer was an innocent victim of a mistake made by Lexus executives.
As much as this calls attention to Paul McCartney, the negative PR will hit Lexus harder.