Catherine Greener is chief executive officer and founder of Greener Solutions, Inc. Her previous positions included vice president of Sustainability Consulting at Saatchi & Saatchi S, team leader of the Commercial and Industrial team of the Rocky Mountain Institute, and director of quality and customer focus for a division of ABB. Greener lives in Boulder, Colorado, in a house featured on the Boulder solar-home tour.

Excerpt:

There has been a tremendous amount of work done by the business community
to contribute to the field of sustainable business. There are numerous
examples of companies using less energy, less raw material, and less
water. Some would argue that if we had another 500 years or so to continue
this trajectory of incremental and continuous improvement, doing less bad,
we would be able to reinvent commerce without much disruption. We don’t
have that luxury. Our climate and our world are changing rapidly around us.
The spirit of sustainable pioneering is what is needed now. Individuals and
companies who are pursuing the bold experiments are proving that success
of the company and success of the environment are not inverse relationships.
The first principle of natural capitalism emphasizes the need for radical
resource efficiency to buy time. But the companies highlighted here are
going beyond the first principle and are finding ways to reinvent their products,
processes, company governances, and infrastructures. These organizations
are exploring virtually the unknown and claiming these new territories
as viable ventures.

Despite their differences, all four of the companies have similarities.
They have been guided by strong visions, goals, and commitments to creating
a sustainable future. They have opened up new areas of thought and possibilities,
making appropriate adaptations based upon the lessons learned
through their sustainable experiments, and have openly shared their adventures
with others. They have a strong sense of “what if?” and inspire others
in their industry to follow the paths they have created.

Sustainable pioneers such as Pangea Organics, New Belgium Brewing
Company, Namasté Solar Electric, and ProLogis are providing the leadership
and paths for other companies to quickly follow and find their own
pioneering spirit to reinvent everything and restore our climate and planet
for generations to come.