Commuting to a job can be a pricey proposition these days. So I searched out a few model companies that are turning green to save some cash and save the air we breathe. They are handing out cash bonuses to employees who buy fuel-efficient cars.

The leader of the pack is Hyperion Solutions. The Santa Clara, Calif., software company jump-started the trend last year with its Drive Clean to Drive Change program. An employee gets $5,000 if he or she purchases a car -- most likely a hybrid -- with an EPA rating of 45 mpg or better. Hyperion promises to distribute the bonuses to as many as 200 employees annually on a first-come, first-serve basis. Anyone who has worked at Hyperion for at least a year is eligible, and veterans can reapply every four years. So far 75 employees have taken advantage of the program, and Hyperion has set up a how-to guide on its website for other companies looking to launch fuel-friendly initiatives.

The new de Young Museum in San Francisco opened up this month and throngs of people waited in line to be one of the first to see its classy design and fresh exhibitions. Amazed at the public response, local columnist Joan Ryan, wrote a column in the San Francisco Chronicle under the title, "Americans Still Seek the Authentic." Ryan penned a profound observation: "Americans are hungrier than ever for the beautiful and the authentic, for experiences that challenge what we know, for ideas that show us the world from a new angle."

 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) no longer finds itself on the margins of the business roundtable. Nearly every corporate executive pays it lip service - a fact that leads to both good and bad implications. To say that CSR has become mainstream, on the other hand, would be a vast exaggeration. CSR in truth finds itself floating in liminal space, meaning it is everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Rather than ponder philosophically on the reason for this state, allow me a practical turn. Based on my engagement in the business world, I have uncovered five places that CSR most typically gets stuck inside a company. Every CSR proposal worth its salt should address effectively these five obstacles before pitching a corporate responsibility proposal.

William Pollard has a law degree, practiced legal counsel at a major US college, and led a distinguished career as a corporate executive. So you cannot blame his wife's cousin for feeling really confused when she ran into Pollard as he was mopping the floor at a Chicago hospital. Trying to make the best of an awkward situation, the woman diplomatically asked, "Are things alright at home, Bill?"