GM (Green Mail)

The US Postal Service has partnered with GM to initiate the first commercial use of a fuel cell vehicle in the nation. They're also using advanced diesel, ethanol, electric and other alternatives to power the fleet of vehicles that deliver the mail each day. Interestingly the Postal Service is doing a number of other things to reduce their impact and investing significant dollars to communicate this effort. Is the current administration demanding this effort or is the competition from private delivery services inspiring the need to embrace these practices?

Grass vs. Cash

The history of British Petroleum dates back to a search for oil in Iran that began in 1901. After numerous changes in ownership due to religion, politics and of course money, the company is now the world's third largest global energy company.

As they look to diversify and appear progressive during the days of $4 a gallon gas, they've adopted the tag Beyond Petroleum. While the latest BP ads talk about the need for alternative energy, the recent spots of their competitor Shell focus on a cash back incentive offered to patrons in the form of a scratch card. In many ways the two very different strategies mirror a debate we saw earlier this year when the presidential candidates batted around the idea of a the gas tax holiday. More recently, this debate is taking shape over the notion off-shore driling. With many Americans struggling to make ends meet, we've seen Barack Obama change his rederic and entertain the idea that off-shore drilling may be part of the solution. Given the economic environment we're living in today, short term financial incentives will probably win out. I'm guessing more people are heading over to Shell in search of cash back, rather than choosing BP because they are talking about the environment.