EkoMovers, Cincinnati

It takes 17 trees and 7,000 gallons of water to create one ton of cardboard, a fact that motivates the professionals at EkoMovers to do their job with an eye toward eco-consciousness. In addition to using plastic moving crates and biodegradable wrap, EkoMovers plants a tree for every new customer, and even invites the client to help. It's this good-hearted environmental agenda that earned the company a nod from the Cincinnati Business Courier as a finalist for Green Business of 2011.

What started as a group of college guys helping out their friends has grown to become a successful moving company concerned with ecological wellness. In a flurry of elbow grease, fully licensed and insured crews of movers schlep clients’ boxes in and out of houses, collect possessions from storage facilities, or deliver bulk items to a donation center. If time remains after hauling away junk or felled tree branches from the lawn, clients can question the movers about their tactics for sterilizing reusable mattress bags or luring magic carpets into a truck with threats of another Disney sequel.