A massive carpet company that transformed itself with a goal to recycle 100 percent of its carpet (it's 50 percent of the way there). Also wrote the book, Midcourse Correction.

I was convincted and transformed in 1994 by Paul Hakin's book, the Ecology of Commerce.

If he's right that business and industry are leaders then who will lead us. We're leading the way. Our Mission Zero is to have a zero footprint. By 2020 to take from the earth only which the earth can renew rapidly, not another drop of oil. That plan is still THE plan. Whole system optimization it requires thinking about this in new way. Using the methane from a landfill -- built a public-private partnership -- the city paid for pipeline and the company paid $3 million for equipment to convert the methane to power. It reduced the company's power costs dramatically, eliminated a public nuisance, and the factory receives credit for the off set and can declare the plant 'climate neutral' and the products 'climate neutral' as certified by third party. We see that waste can be food for another.

The marketing pitch on solar panels is, can you sell solar powered carpet? It bypassed the beancounter who rejected the first cost of the solar panels. The solar revolution, it has begun.

A product designer at Dupont wants to reduce the enviro impact. Dematerialization through conscious design.

Printing patterns on carpet is energy intensive and water intensive. The new thinking is the machine that looms it can put a color or pattern right into the carpet. The solution was to 'burn the bridges' and lead to patented inventions.

Also, go into the forest and look at how nature designs (not leaf patterns), but nature as mentor. They realize there is comfortable chaos in that no two things are alike. They design a carpet tile where no two are exactly the same, but in the deliberate imperfections the installer can install quicker, he can lay them randomly, less waste. Make selective replacement of damaged areas. Good for enviro because it looks at nature's resource efficiency.

Looked at how gecko's stick to things to eliminate glue from the carpet. A tiny piece of new tape sticky side up working with gravity -- tack tiles -- is the world's first glue-free carpet tile. Another valuable invention for the company. Geckos and carpet tiles, who would have imagined.

This is industrial sustainability in action. Fourteen years of this new thinking does not come easy. The status quo is an opiate. But we did and it's transforming us daily (and by the way reducing tons of carbon emissions). What has it cost? It's hasn't. $193 million savings to the company and more to go, because we're only half way to zero waste. Some 82 products are now produced on the Biomimetic approach to no two tiles are the same. Closing the loop on material flows. And the goodwill in the market as been irreplaceable, and believe me we don't take it for granted, in the downturn to the economy. Net GHG are down 82% in net tonnage. And this is versus 1996 baseline and it doesn't include carbon offset purchases. Carbon inputs are down 90%. This is what the entire business industry must realize; I'm saying it is possible.

We have a major competitive advantage. 88% of our factories run on renewable energy (22% of total energy use is renewable). Renewable and recyclables are 25% of total. Scrap to landfill is down two-thirds. Sold 70 million square yards of Cool Climate certified green carpet since line launched in 2003.

Fourteen years ago when we set this goal, competitors called me a dreamer, it looked impossible to many. It exists without one government incentive. If it exists, it must be possible. If anybody can, everybody can. What is needed? Strong signals from the market that says thisis how I make my purchase decisions from now on and thousands of change agents who confirm that. Incentives for renewables could help speed things along. As to cap and trade -- alter the cap rather than give it away.

The Earth desperately needs for carbon to have a price. It begins with you and me. We cannot survive without nature, you and me, because she is the goose that lays all the golden eggs. We want to do good for the earth, not just not doing harm. We started a peer-to-peer learning network. We are all in it together.