Can Public Companies Be Truly Green?

Jeff from Sustainablog will be hosting a a Green Business Chat tonight from 930-11pm EDT (630-8 PDT), and the topic will be "Green Business: Is Bigger Better?" Among other things, there will be discussion about what the the new green initiatives of GE, Wal-Mart and Ford mean for sustainability, and what do they mean for smaller start-up green businesses?

One interesting legal question, especially for public companies, is whether they can have a strong green ethic and simultaneously protect the interests of their shareholders (as they are required legally to do)? What happens when the shareholders' interests conflict with sustainability concerns? In order to be truly green, do we need laws that mandate that corporations "act green," or do corporations need to explicitly spell out their green ethic in their corporate charter?

If you want to participate in the chat, contact Jeff for an invite.