31. Charles Vigliotti

You have to see it to believe it. A mountain of fresh dirt, compost actually, crawling with giant machines that look like ants on an anthill. In the middle of Yaphank is the massive compound that houses the yard-waste transfer station belonging to Long Island Compost. With his two brothers, Vigliotti founded the company three decades ago and has transformed it into an environmental juggernaut. The premise is so simple it’s astounding. Take all of our landscaping waste and convert it into soil not only suitable for residential consumers, but used everywhere from rooftop designs to beautification projects. Brilliant. Oh, and not sending LI’s organic waste to municipal facilities saves the taxpayer money as well. Forgive the Gordon Gekko reference for the second year in a row, but the dapper Vigliotti has redefined the famous saying and shown us all that Green Is Good.