The Integrators

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In 1998, the company became the first U.S. brewery to be powered entirely by wind. It now meets all its energy needs through a combination of wind power purchased from the city and cogeneration of thermal energy from the brewing process. Brewing uses a lot of water, an average of eight barrels of water to produce a single barrel of beer; through recapture and reuse, New Belgium has cut its water use in half. In winter, induction fans pull in cool outside air to chill the beer, reducing the need for refrigeration, which can account for up to 30 percent of a brewery's electric use. Finally, New Belgium recycles or reuses 98 percent of its waste stream--converting spent grain into cattle feed, for example. Hybrids or high-mileage diesels are used for company business.

And the fun? Each employee gets a cruiser bike on his or her first anniversary--during the summer, some 40 percent of the company's day-shift staffers pedal to work. Corporate philanthropy centers on the Tour de Fat (named for New Belgium's Fat Tire Amber Ale), a multicity "ballyhoo of bikes and beer" that promotes green issues and raises money for local nonprofits. Jordan acknowledges that being green has a brand benefit. "But building a brand by being green is not our motivation," she says. "The beautiful part of it is we believe in what we're doing."

Turf wars. Or, doing right by the great American lawn

In the quest for perfectly manicured turf, more than 100 million pounds of pesticides are dumped on American lawns each year. They pollute groundwater and lakes and kill birds and fish, and many of the most commonly used ones, including organophosphates, have been linked to cancer, reproductive defects, and neurological damage in people.

After working for nine years as a manager at ChemLawn (which has since changed its name to TruGreen ChemLawn and updated many of its practices), the nation's leading lawn-care company, Philip Catron decided he had seen enough of sick pets, lawn-service employees, and lawns. So in 1986, he launched NaturaLawn of America in Frederick, Maryland, to provide a then-novel alternative: a lawn-care system that uses an approach called integrated pest management. This system allows beneficial insects to keep harmful pests under control and the soil healthy, and uses natural fertilizers and weed inhibitors to minimize the need for applications of chemicals. In the 20 years since, NaturaLawn has become the country's largest organic-based lawn-care business, with 72 franchisees in 25 states and systemwide revenue of about $27 million. Customers have been able to reduce pesticide use by an average of 85 percent. NaturaLawn is more expensive than traditional methods, but the company retains customers longer, Catron says, with an annual turnover rate of about 15 percent, compared with 40 percent for the industry at large. "To be responsible isn't necessarily the cheapest thing to do," Catron says. "It never is. But we make it up in the long haul."

Two words: Power Plastic

Howard Berke has the credibility of an entrepreneur who has been involved with 13 start-ups. He also has the credibility of a CEO with two Nobel laureates among his 40 employees and all-star VC backing.

So there is considerable excitement in the renewable-energy world about Berke's focus on a technology known as solar cell. Power Plastic, as they like to call it at Konarka Technologies, the company Berke runs in Lowell, Massachusetts, is different from conventional solar panels both chemically and practically. Solar cells are built around organic chemicals rather than silicon. Because of that, they are considerably more flexible than the solar panels sold today and can be used in more ways. (For one thing, Power Plastic can be made in an array of colors.) When the product is ready for the market--soon, says Berke--it will have the potential to bring solar power to an array of everyday objects, turning things such as handbags, lampposts, and even clothing into clean power sources. Charge your phone while you carry it around, or use the awning outside your place of business to help power the computers inside. The U.S. military is onboard: Both the Army and the Air Force have awarded Konarka multimillion-dollar research contracts to outfit tents, uniforms, and electronic devices with Power Plastic.

"I'm a pretty conservative person," said Berke. "I don't come at this as an environmentalist. I come at this from basic good business sense. The cost of renewables is coming down; it's more competitive when compared with fossil fuel."

That sounds credible.

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