That caution has given the company confidence that the initiatives it does support carry value for customers and the business. "Going forward we want customers to feel good about doing business with us," she says.

Riding High

Winning customer approval is a growing benefit of these eco-programs, and the more open you are with what you are doing, the more attention you are likely to receive.

Kevin LaHay, for example, found a unique way to engage customers in his company's initiatives. LaHay, along with partner Shane Fortune, are the co-owners of PB Copy, a two-man digital printing operation in Surrey, Canada.

The two men first got excited about going green after attending a Green Living show in the area where they saw an array of recycled products and low energy technology. They bought several boxes of 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper they now use for 90 percent of their customers' printing.

"That show got us in the mindset of being more eco-friendly," says LaHay. "We asked ourselves: 'What else can we do?"

Their answer has drawn media attention and a crop of customers willing to break a sweat to stay off the grid.

LaHay and Fortune installed an exercise bike with a power inverter and battery pack attachment from Windstream Power in Vermont. Riding the bike generates energy that is stored in the battery pack that they use to power office equipment via an extension cord.

"I do my best to get every customer to ride the bike," says LaHay, who also puts in an hour or two of riding a day. "At first they seem surprised, but when they see I'm serious they usually agree."

Most clients ride for a few minutes while waiting for their copies. LaHay estimates 10 minutes of moderate riding will power 100 copies on the digital printer. When the battery is full, it can power three to four hours of printing, equating to thousands of copies.

To support the bike generator, LaHay also put together a homemade two-panel solar power system that he attached to the end of a pole that he sets in the sun each day while the shop is open.

The two innovative additions, along with turning off unnecessary lights and powering down equipment when its not in use, cut PB Copy's energy bill 45 percent in one year.

More than that, it's won the print shop a growing number of loyal customers and fans, including a group of local kids who stop by most days to pedal the bike. "People see that we are trying to make a bit of difference," LaHay says. "It's getting us a lot of notice."

Garnering approval from customers is an important value-add for green initiatives, and it will soon become a deal breaker as more consumers and governments set expectations for sustainability as the price of doing business.

"The sustainability conversation is moving into the mainstream," says Hartzfeld of Interface Raise. "You have to have the courage to try something radically different, to engage your people, and see what the opportunities are from a business value standpoint. If you don't, then one day soon you are not going to be an innovative leader."

Sarah Fister Gale is a freelance writer based in Chicago.