Community Service 2009

In 1994, Ray Anderson, founder of the carpet company Interface, was preparing to give a talk on his firm's environmental plan when he discovered it didn't really have an environmental plan. In the years since, Anderson has remade Interface as a sustainability pioneer, in part by using natural, recyclable fibers. Going green has helped save money, but there's more. "It creates a higher purpose with your people," says Interface CEO Dan Hendrix. "They know we have a vision."

See TIME's special report on the environment.