Ray Anderson’s mission is a lot easier than if used to be. Even companies that have typically paid little attention to the green movement are grappling with issues related to sustainability, partly because of the growing clout of environmentalists. Surveys show that American consumers find nonprofit green groups more credible than business, for example. Another study found that MBA students would forgo an average of $13,700 in compensation to work for a company that had a good reputation for environmental sustain ability. Even Wal-Mart is paying attention The company teamed up with Conservation International to help develop ways to cut energy consumption, switch to renewable power, and sell millions of energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs. Sustainability argues that organizations can find innovative ways to create wealth at the same time they are preserving natural resources. General Mills used to pay to have oat hulls from its cereal production process hauled to the landfill. Now customers compete to buy the company’s solid waste to be burned as fuel. GM earns more money from recycling than it once spent on disposal.