For the most part, when it comes to doing the right thing for the environment, most people (and executives making company decisions) do what is easiest or makes the most economic sense for them at the time of decision. If the recycling can is too far away, they throw the recyclable item in the closer trash can.

It's the economic incentive that has kept so many industries from adopting green approaches while others get green easily. The paper industry has been great at being green -- because planting trees renews their supply of paper stock and because recycling pulp products into new paper products is less costly than using nonrecycled stock.

Companies that do financial transactions with consumers, including many financial institutions, have had a more checkered track record. And bank customers are typically just as bad.

Think about the major consumer banking technologies that have come out in the last few decades. When ATM machines first came out, it cost a bundle for each consumer transaction. Over the years, the cost per transaction has gone up and down -- often in efforts to entice customers to use local machines instead of those of competitors -- but ATMs until recently have been profit centers.

Similarly, it's not unusual for Internet transactions to cost consumers more than equivalent transactions made in a retail store. Transaction fees, convenience fees and other fees of various names are the typical culprits. Ever buy a ticket to a concert or ballgame? The prices are always misleading, and cost the consumer more than expected.

In recent years, banks have started to get better as they recognize that online and similar electronic transactions cost less to process. But they've been goading the consumer to use these by telling them they can save stamps, instead of creating incentives. I'm guilty of not being dedicated to online bank transactions to save trees. About half my transactions use paper checks and envelopes. I even pay the 42 cents to mail my payments -- because it often takes me less time to print the check. Besides, many bank online accounts are poor at interfacing with financial software.

Some banks are getting smarter. Citizens Bank offers a program called GreenSense, where the bank pays you 10 cents per transaction done electronically, from paying a bill online to replacing paper statements with electronic statements. It costs them up to $120/year per consumer, but it gets bank customers into good habits. It saves trees and costs less for the bank to process. Importantly, Citizens Bank is supporting the GreenSense program with advertising in key markets, including Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

PNC Bank is using a different tack to get green and save operational dollars. It has introduced Virtual Wallet, a bank offering that uses electronic means almost exclusively and rewards the consumer with an efficient way to manage his money. Consumers who aren't stuck on the idea of having paper checks and statements can use an online interface to manage their financial affairs. It's all done online and via plastic debit card.

I remember when Citibank first started offering consumers the ability to manage all their accounts in one online account, even non-Citibank accounts, using technology from a company called Yodlee. It was progressive -- perhaps too far ahead of its time, since I don't see the offering at Citibank anymore. (But you can get it from Yodlee directly.) It was wonderful.

These more recent offerings from Citizens Bank and PNC are in that same "wonderful" category -- with financial, convenience and green incentives worth considering.