It is tempting to say that the headlines about rising fuel prices, Libya and other events in the Middle East will be a wake-up call to the dangers of oil dependence. But such calls have been repeated for almost 40 years, and yet the vulnerability – both in the US and across the globe – remains.

Our mobile economy remains defenseless against oil-price shocks and supply interruptions. In the US, transport accounts for 70 per cent of petroleum consumed. 97 per cent of transport fuel in the US is derived from oil, and there are no plausible substitutes. When prices go up, there are only two choices: drive less or pay more. If supplies are disrupted for any reason, the choices are even worse. This must change.

When I was asked to put a requirement in our FedEx Express building specifications for our newly built facilities to obtain LEED® Certification, I didn’t think I heard correctly.  Surely we just want to specify that our buildings might go for LEED, not that we really intend to certify all our future projects, right?  Wrong!  Yes, we wanted to save energy, help the environment, and create better places for our customers and employees, but we also wanted to be sure that FedEx was doing it the right way.

So what is LEED?  First off, it is LEED – not Leeds.  Here is a tidbit for your next cocktail party where sustainability is discussed: Leeds is a city in Alabama and also a city in England where The Who recorded a great live album.  LEED, however, is an acronym for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design and, with our first LEED Certified building, FedEx is indeed “leading” (pun intended) our industry...