The E-Factor

Integrating concern for the environment as a regular business practice can be as economical as it is ecological, maintains Makower ( The Green Consumer ) in this sweeping, dispassionate and heartening survey of ``green'' activity in mainstream industry. He describes official disincentives: corporate managers responsible for industrial pollution draw increasingly stiff jail terms as the FBI joins activists and whistleblowers in tracking down violators. For the most part, however, Makower's approach is positive. He explains how such companies as Lockheed, 3M and Xerox cut toxic emissions, reduce waste and boost energy efficiency. He also salutes the enterprising: a furniture maker incinerates wood scraps and sawdust to heat his plant in winter and cool it in summer; an airline flight attendant organizes an industrywide recycling network. Encouraging environmental responsibility, Makower concludes, brings unexpected benefits in employee morale, public relations and profit margins. Author tour. (Mar.)