American Water goes green with online annual report

Eco-friendly version uses executives in videos to enliven a historically stodgy topic

When most people think annual report, glossy pictures of pristine corporate campuses; smiling employees and customers; positive letters from CEOs; and pages of financial numbers, charts, and graphs spring to mind.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Some companies realize that now, in the age of global warming and economic fragility, a printed annual report isn’t very environmentally friendly or cost effective. Federal requirements dictate financial information, not million-word slogs.

Utility company American Water took its annual report online with an interactive Web site that features 53 videos from eight company executives talking about financials, company initiatives, and corporate responsibility—everything a traditional annual report contains.