Brad Trent

Creating Eco-Friendly Operations

By Amy Barrett

In a brutal economic slump it might be expected that going green would take a back seat to earning green. After all, many entrepreneurs these days are focused more on merely surviving a protracted recession rather than on saving the planet. But it turns out many business owners have figured out ways to do both.

In this slide show we profile six entrepreneurs who are lean, mean—and now green. They have found innovative ways to reduce their environmental impact, whether by installing a solar energy system, finding creative ways to recycle massive amounts of waste that previously ended up in a landfill, or removing toxic chemicals from their workspace. While their businesses and strategies differ wildly, this group of forward-thinking business owners has one thing in common: a knack for problem solving that leads them to profitable, if at times unconventional strategies to reduce their environmental impact.

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