Contributors: Nora O’Donnell

« CASSIE GREEN ELISE ZELECHOWSKI » AGE: 44 COFOUNDER AND CEO: AllCell Technologies (website) BUSINESS: Renewable energy This former Illinois Institute of Technology prof always believed rechargeable lithium-ion batteries had potential—if only they stopped catching fire. So he set out to design a safer and lighter alternative. Now versions of his model are being used … Read more

« ELISE ZELECHOWSKI DEBORAH SAWYER » AGE: 29 FOUNDING PARTNER: Carbon Day Automotive (website) BUSINESS: Transportation Four years ago, Levin was just another commercial real-estate broker taking a hit in the economic downturn. That’s when he embarked on a new venture: electric vehicle charging stations. With the increased production of electric vehicles on the horizon, Levin … Read more

  SAID AL-HALLAJ » AGE: 34 FOUNDER AND OWNER: Green Grocer (website) BUSINESS: Neighborhood grocery When the aptly named Green moved to West Town in 2006, she was struck by the absence of a quality neighborhood grocery. One year later, she was drafting a business plan for a store that would stock regional produce and … Read more

« SAID AL-HALLAJ BRIAN LEVIN » AGE: 33 FOUNDER: ReBuilding Exchange (website) BUSINESS: Building materials Even before the economy slowed, Zelechowski noticed two problems plaguing her native Chicago: the abundance of construction and demolition waste (from buildings that had fallen into foreclosure and disrepair) and a lack of jobs (for the hard to employ). Her … Read more

« BRIAN LEVIN   AGE: 55 PRESIDENT AND CEO: Environmental Design International (website) BUSINESS: Green engineering In 1991, this environmental scientist set out to help developers transform contaminated city lots into usable land. In 2009, Sawyer landed a career-making project when Exelon enlisted her firm, Environmental Design International, to engineer the nation’s largest urban solar … Read more

This year, we are honoring five entrepreneurs with big ideas on how to grow the sustainable economy. What’s the secret to their success? We gathered them together to find out