CFOs taking steps to be 'greener;' debate over regulation.

• Position: 'GREEN' ISSUES - Chief financial officers - Brief article

FEI's most recent quarterly survey, conducted in late 2009 and early January 2010 in conjunction with Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business, examined what steps companies are taking to become more environmentally responsible, and why they may be taking them.

The most frequent "green" action among respondents' companies is reducing energy consumption in company facilities (48 percent). This was followed by reducing waste in production and packaging (30 percent) and promoting incentives and initiatives encouraging customers to be greener (21 percent). Least popular initiatives were reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from factories and plants (6 percent) and supporting legislation on environmental issues (7 percent).

While few are actively supporting legislation on environmental issues, sentiment toward governmental regulation of environmental responsibility is split among the CFOs. Though nearly half (49...