This first goal and all ensuing efforts stemming from it have translated into $372 million in savings and an 82 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since 1996, Hartzfeld says. "Half of the savings came from small actions that everyone could play a role in, like recycling," he says. "The other half came from big engineering ideas about how to change major pieces of the business."

Hartzfeld attributes Interface's ongoing success over the years to a change in the way Anderson and employees saw the company. "We didn't approach sustainability as a list of things to do, we started thinking about ourselves as a green organization. That's when the big ideas and opportunities came about," he says. "It was as much about changing the technology as it was about changing the culture, and engaging people in a new way of thinking about who we want to be."

A Million Trees

That culture change is an important part of the transition to becoming a greener company, and the change doesn't -- and shouldn't -- happen overnight, says Lisa Martini, spokeswoman for privately owned Enterprise Rent-A-Car, which has the largest fleet of rental cars in the world. "It's a slow process and every step you take should be carefully researched."

Enterprise began its journey just two years ago with its 50 Million Tree pledge to commemorate its 50th anniversary. Through a public/private partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, Enterprise launched an initiative through the Arbor Day Foundation to plant 50 million trees over the next 50 years -- a gift worth more than $50 million dollars.

"The pledge was a way for the company to give something back to customers and employees, to say thank you for all they've done," says Martini. But it also spurred the company to identify other green initiatives that made sense for the business.

"The tree project got employees excited," Martini says.

The company decided that with a fleet of nearly a million cars, it could have the biggest environmental and business impact by reducing fossil fuel use. "It was important for us to participate in issues that matter to our business," Martini says. "We focused on areas where we have knowledge and value to add to the global discussion."

With that in mind, Enterprise focused its goals and initiatives on lessening and offsetting its fleet's environmental impact. Over the past two years, Enterprise has brought in thousands of more fuel efficient vehicles; partnered with the EPA's SmartWay green vehicle rating program; given customers the chance to buy carbon offset credits as part of their rental agreements, matched by the company; and made a $25 million donation to create the Institute for Renewable Fuels.

"All of these initiatives were carefully considered and chosen both because they were good for the environment and good for the business," Martini says. "We understand that to be successful we have to have socially acceptable vehicles."

She also points out that Enterprise has only been at this for two years and didn't jump into any programs. "It was a slow and methodical process. We did a lot of research. We partnered with third-party experts to help us understand the issues, and we thought a long time about these programs before even presenting them to senior level management," Martini says.