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Andy Rossmeissl and Jake Whitcomb, both 24, founded Brighter Planet in late 2005 after taking an environmental economics course together at Middlebury College in Vermont. Challenged by their professor Jon Isham to devise innovative ways to bring more people into the discussion about climate change, Rossmeissl and Whitcomb decided to take a business approach.

Their first product, the patent-pending Bright Card, will be a credit card with a green twist -- instead of getting points or airline miles for dollars spent, a percentage of purchase charges will be invested in efforts to advance renewable energy. The selling point is that users can help to offset the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide generated by the average consumer lifestyle.