What’s the No. 1 way to promote sustainability? For this year’s Eco-Leaders, the answer is to focus on the task at hand, and do a better job--in terms of product design, transportation and manufacturing. For consumers, the benefits are many: Lower water bills. More-efficient heating. A lighter electric load. Cleaner indoor air. Less landfill trash. All come with a big “thank you” to the folks who set them on a greener path.
Some of the environmental trendsetters are veterans to our annual list, offering new examples of how they’re leading the charge against climate change and other eco-hazards. Others are newbies making the roster with their innovative green efforts.
There are the two surfers who turned a part-time job into a world-renowned bamboo furniture company. The porcelain tile manufacturer with a knack for reusing its product. A chemical-free wood flooring maker. And more.
This year’s list also features a number of companies that are making continued progress in their efforts to take charge of how they handle the environment, or that are fringe businesses that you may or may not realize have ties to green building.
And then there are the change makers, corporate trailblazers who have personal reasons for leading the ever-growing green vanguard.
All these stories make for quite a full house. In an industry that relies upon how sustainably homes are built, that’s a very good thing.
The 2017 target: proactive global community involvement. Heavily recycled content means 
This manufacturer maintains a high, educational profile. 
What’s strong becomes stronger with this recycled, retrofit technology. 
This historic company’s green influence is everywhere. 
Instead of being tossed into the landfill, discarded porcelain tile gets a second life in homes and offices. 
When it comes to sustainability, Hunter is definitely in control. 
Sustainability has many facets—as this company’s portfolio shows. 
When it comes to natural wood flooring, this company sets a gold standard. 
For this condensing tech leader, 
Masters of ventilation and airflow. 
Devising innovative ways to improve water heating and HVAC efficiency. 
The auto giant has relentlessly improved hydrogen fuel cell technology. 
For this heating and cooling systems provider, it pays to be flexible. 
The home appliance giant has a ‘ReNEWW’ approach to energy savings. 
