Through a variety of discussions, panelists at the Sustainable Business Leadership Forum agreed that businesses wanting to become more sustainable need to change their culture to incorporate environmentally friendly practices.

The event at the U.S. National Whitewater Center drew attendees and speakers from retail, manufacturing, energy, construction, finance and academia, including Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers, Ikea USA President Pernille Lopez and representatives from Lowe's, Piedmont Natural Gas and steelmaker Nucor.

Sustainability means "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs," according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

For businesses, it encompasses a variety of issues, including energy efficiency, transportation networks, supply chains and waste management. There's no single checklist companies can use to achieve it, those at the panel said.

At a time when climate change and the rising price of gas and other commodities have become prominent issues and show no signs of fading, becoming greener is not just morally right but a good long-term financial decision, panelists said.

"If you're not preparing yourself (with) a sustainability strategy," Lopez said, "you're not going to be profitable."

Panelists said companies are more open to discussing and pursuing environmental issues today than they were just a few years ago.

But there's also plenty of room for improvement, others said.

"We're at a transition point, but it's still not enough," said Johns Hopkins University chemist Peter Agre, a 2003 Nobel laureate.

Yet, all companies face the challenge of balancing environmental concerns with other responsibilities, which can put them in a difficult position when they publicly try to take the lead on greening.

Duke's Rogers, for instance, speaks extensively about renewable energy. Yet, his company is the third-largest carbon dioxide emitter in the country and plans two new coal-fired power plants.

"When you lead on environmental issues, environmental organizations hold you to a higher standard properly so," Rogers said. That's why, he said, it's important to foster a culture and employees that believe in sustainability.

True sustainability requires political and structural change and new investment, said speaker Adam Werbach, a former Sierra Club president. It also requires people to make better personal choices, he said, which is something businesses can encourage.

Companies can do their part by examining their own practices and distilling their findings into concrete steps to take.

"Don't try to rush into (it)," Ikea's Lopez said. "Take the time to step back for a moment and consider what this means both short-term and long-term for your business. Who do you want to be?"

Energy efficiency is a good place to begin, as it saves money and can reduce the impact of climate change, said Michael Shore, president of FLS Energy, a solar energy company.

In addition, Tandus Group, a Georgia-based commercial carpeting company, developed a technology to remove carpet from floors and work it back into new products. Ikea has environmental coordinators in each of its stores, working to reduce waste. Steve Rowlan, who manages environmental affairs for Nucor, advised looking at a product's life cycle to see how recyclable it will be.

The appropriate measure of success, panelists agreed, is what Rogers called the "grandchildren's test": When my grandchildren are my age, will they look back and say I made good decisions that stand the test of time?

"To me," Rogers said, "that's what sustainability is all about."