Zimmer and partner Logan Green began thinking of Zimride when Logan was at University and Zimmer was at Lehman Brothers.

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Beyond that Green believes it's about thinking big.

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That has brought the concept friends who are not normally persuaded by environmental thinking, as well as green enemies who will brook no compromise.

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It was all the big "green" projects around the world that got Otegui thinking about smaller solutions.

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Both of these examples required someone recognizing the value of taking a big marketing risk, thinking creatively, and ultimately, hitting the green light.

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Here to set you thinking are some less-than-standard measures of green shoots and turning points suggested in recent weeks, and a few that are more orthodox.

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Green, 50, went back recently to the Lower 9th Ward -- thinking he'd succeed where recovery workers and morgue contractors have failed.

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The bill also removes the dedicated funding for green infrastructure, water efficiency, and environmentally innovative projects that communities used to implement forward-thinking water management solutions that protect clean water and save them money.

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