Ann DeLaVergne

When it comes to eco initiatives, the real challenge isn’t devising sophisticated plans like wind energy programs, observed Gale Ward, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Minneapolis-based ecoEnvelopes, it’s developing practical, everyday products that help reduce our overall environmental footprint. This is exactly what Ward’s business partner, Ann DeLaVergne—ecoEnvelopes’ founder, CEO and president—did when she designed an efficient reusable envelope. A former organic farmer and beekeeper who cares deeply about the environment, DeLaVergne was in the habit of saving large envelopes for reuse—despite the complex camouflage they required to be mailed a second time. Then, one day in 2002 while sorting mail,