Its not easy being green, but three companies are finding the opposite of that to be true.

Wal-Mart, Ben and Jerry's and Dell recently announced new ways each company is striving to be more environmentally conscience.

Ben and Jerry's will now serve all of their drinks in a new corn-based drinking cup manufactured by the Fabri-Kal Corporation.

"The cups are made from 100 percent corn. There are no additives. They are so safe that you could even eat them," Colin Butts, public relations representative from Fabri-Kal, said.

The switch to better and safer forms of packaging products has been ongoing for Ben and Jerry's.

"We worked on this project for over two years," Sean Greenwood, public relations representative from Ben and Jerry's, said. "We are continually looking for ways to convert our existing packaging to lines that are more environmentally friendly."

The drinking cups were designed to help reduce landfill waste, according to Fabri-Kal.com.

"The drinking cups are compostable. It only takes about 50 days and heat and humidity for one drinking cup to be completely broken down," Butts said.

Johanna Mirenda and Brittany Harris, co-presidents of Eco-Action, a Penn State student environmental group, said they are excited to hear about the changes the companies are making.

"It's great that companies are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint, and I hope it is the first of many," Johanna Mirenda (senior-horticulture) said.

According to Fabri-Kal.com, the cups are made from the sugars in the corn. The sugars are broken down by fermentation to lactic acid and that is used to make the plastic for the cup.

Soon the corn-based drinking cups will be arriving in Ben and Jerry's stores across the nation. Ben and Jerry's, 124 S. Allen St., has yet to receive the new drinking cups.

Wal-Mart is also making strides on the environmental front, including plans to use less gasoline in its trucking fleet and buying more hybrid trucks to increase their efficiency.

"We are doing our part for the environment," Marisa Bluestone, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart, said.

According to www.walmartfacts.com, an official supplement to walmart.com, the company also wants to cut its energy use by 30 percent and lower its greenhouse-gas emissions by 20 percent in seven years. It also plans to reduce solid waste from stores nationwide by 25 percent in the next three years.

"When companies are being proactive, it's good for the environment and good for business," Bluestone said.

Brittany Harris (junior-biological anthropology and environmental studies) is glad to hear that large companies still care about the environment.

"Its good to hear that Wal-Mart is making changes, since they're usually viewed negatively from an environmental and humanistic aspect," Harris said, "When a big corporation such as this one decides that they need to be more environmentally friendly, it shows the public that environmental issues are serious."

Dell has also jumped on the environment friendly bandwagon. In June, the company started a free recycling program for used PCs.

"Consumers who have used a Dell computer, who are not buying a new computer, can recycle the used Dell for no charge. We are the only company in the industry to do this," Bryant Hilton, public relations representative from Dell, said.

The Dell recycling program has been around for about 10 years, but this is the first time a consumer can recycle a Dell computer without buying a new computer from the company.

The recycling process is very straightforward for the consumer, Hilton said.

"It's very easy, the customer prints out a shipping label from the Dell Web site and packs the computer and mails it to us, and we take care of the rest," Hilton said.