08/06/2008 11:57 AM

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The 2008 SB20: World's Top Sustainable Stocks Page 2

SB20 Company Highlights:

The following are some highlights from this year's group of 20 companies. You can read short snapshots of all the companies here. Just click into the company name you're interested in learning about.

Green Building

Even in the toughest construction market we've seen in a long time, green building companies are holding their own. Apogee (APOG) is a leading manufacturer of efficient glass, which coats some of the highest profile green buildings, such as the Bank of America tower currently under construction in New York City.

Accsys Technology is a small company based in England that's developed a unique technology - it gives softwood trees the durability and quality of hardwoods. If we could use softwoods to make windows, doors and furniture it would greatly relieve the stress on the world's primary forests.

Interface is finally benefiting from its steep climb up "Mount Sustainability" - its innovations in carpet tiles are bearing fruit. The first quarter of 2008 was its best ever.

Renewable Energy

Over a third of the companies on this year's list produce clean energy: in solar, wind and geothermal.

First Solar continues to dominate in thin film solar, producing the highest efficiency, lowest cost modules in the industry by far - no small feat.

Solar Millennium, based in Germany, is building the world's largest solar thermal plants - the first solar utility.

India-based Suzlon graces our list because of its rapid ascent in the wind industry - it rose to a 10.5% market share in 2007.

England-based Climate Exchange Plc is our first company from a brand new industry - Carbon Markets.

Corporate Pioneers

About half the SB20 List are "Corporate Pioneers" - companies with conventional products and services that are greening their product lines.

Over the past year, Google has become as admired in sustainability circles as for its endless innovation in the Search Engine business. Google's extensive server farms operate at an unheard of 90% efficiency, which they're working to extend throughout the industry; they're also investing hundreds of millions of dollars in clean energy technologies.

IBM is greening its own and customers' data centers, which can be 100 times as energy intensive as the average office building. They're designing technologies to cut energy use by half by 2010, while increasing computer capacity by a factor of 10.

Meanwhile, TNT is setting the trend for its industry - the postal and express mail company, which is based in the Netherlands and competes with FedEx and UPS, has committed to becoming the first zero emissions transportation company.

Natura Cosmeticos is doing the same in the personal care industry - it completely banned animal testing in products or suppliers' ingredients.

And Chipotle Mexican Grill is proving that fast food can be healthy and come completely from humane, organic farms. Its 730 restaurants now serve 100% free range pork and chicken.

**Learn more by reading Snapshots of all the SB20 Companies.

The 2008 SB20 List

**Learn more by reading Snapshots of all the SB20 Companies.

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