Fortune, together with its program partners, The Nature Conservancy, NRDC, and the Environmental Defense Fund, gathers, as it describes, “the smartest people we know” in sustainability from business, government, and NGOs.

Since 2009, Herman Miller has been a major sponsor of this dynamic event. We enjoy contributing to it, but we feel that we gain even more through the rich conversations and relationships we build there.

We’ll be live tweeting from the conference, so follow us @hermanmiller for real-time updates. Or you can also follow @brainstormgreen or search for hashtag #FortuneGreen to get an inside look into all of the discussions happening during the conference.

And, though it’s too late to join the conference in person, you can virtually participate in some of the sessions via video stream.

Before you move on to read something else, consider that this has been a year of winnowing. Now, hard upon the recent economic turmoil, some companies are well-positioned to move forward; others remain on shaky ground; and yet others have disappeared completely. According to FORTUNE magazine, this year’s list contains more new names than ever before—and fewer of the old standards. FORTUNE calls it, “a new competitive order…that will probably last years.” Companies that made the list this year “through good times and bad…dared to differ from how most competitors were behaving.”

If “daring to differ” is a differentiator, it comes as no surprise that Herman Miller continues to rank high on the “Most Admired” companies list. Setting trends, creating markets, and not following the herd is in Herman Miller’s corporate DNA. This recognition reaffirms that if the vision is broad enough, the roots deep enough, and the moral ground solid enough, it doesn’t matter what the rest of the world does. In this case, the rest of the world recognized a leader—yet again.

Most people going to South Africa in late June went for the World Cup, but not all of them. My reason for going was to take part in the FORTUNE Global Forum. It was an international gathering of business, government, and NGO leaders. Most attendees came from China and North America and, of course, the African continent.

The China representation wasn’t surprising, since that country is one of the biggest investors in Africa. The continent’s natural resources are one reason. Here’s another: the rate of return on foreign investment, according to a McKinsey Global Institute report, “higher in Africa than in any other developing region.”

Even with the problems African nations face, their economies are developing fast, almost as fast as the BRIC nations. To keep development going requires innovative thinking. I was privileged to be part of a panel discussion on “Innovation by Design.” We discussed how design can make products, buildings, and even villages better. I shared my thoughts, as did architects Frank Gehry, Rodney Harber, and Luyanda Mpahlwa.

And speaking of innovation, we were able to feature Herman Miller’s latest innovation, the Embody chair; 400 of them filled the main conference room, along with our classics and Setu chairs in the lobby, thanks to the efforts of our local dealer, AllOffice. All in all, it was a great experience, although I didn’t get a chance to buy a vuvuzela.

Photo via David Rogers/Getty Images

Now those words are part of the regular vernacular—from cutting-edge entrepreneurs to leaders of Fortune 500 companies to environmental organizers. Businesses now believe that being “green” isn’t just the nice thing to do; it’s the smarter thing to do, creating more economic and social value. It’s the approach Herman Miller has practiced for years.

This week, Herman Miller will be an active participant in the “green” dialogue at the Fortune Brainstorm: Green conference, held April 12-14 in Laguna Niguel, California. Representatives from Herman Miller will join leading thinkers from different industries and sectors for the second annual event. As the title alludes, this will truly be a brainstorm—a working conference where ideas will be shared, sparks will fly, and perhaps participants will blaze a trail in some new and exciting direction.

As a leading advocate for sustainable design and solutions, Herman Miller is proud to sponsor this meeting of minds. And since it’s in on the beach in California, I’m really excited to be attending. Watch for my updates on @HermanMiller, hashtag #betterworld.

We do a lot of talking around here about working for a better world around you. By “you” we mean our community of customers, employees, shareholders, and contributors of all sorts. Whatever else these awards mean, others are recognizing us for doing what we say.

Including
Herman Miller also believes in a diverse, inclusive workforce, as evident in our corporate values statement, ”Things That Matter,” which states, “To succeed as a company, we must include all the expressions of human talent and potential that society offers—obvious and not so obvious.” This corporate-wide strategic business initiative, designed to enhance diversity and create a more inclusive workplace, includes the five critical areas of its value stream: Supplier Diversity, Dealer Distribution, Talent, Education and Awareness, and External Community Outreach.

Celebrating
In March 2009, we began a reduced work schedule because of uncertain economic conditions. Many companies in the same situation decided to reduce their employees’ base pay, but Herman Miller decided to work a reduced work schedule until business conditions improve. Meanwhile, management agreed to share back a portion of any operating income generated during this timeframe (above its required base-line level of performance) in a reduction recovery payment to employees working a reduced work schedule.

These programs and initiatives are just a few examples from Herman Miller’s “Best Companies to Work For” entry. Although they differentiate the company in many ways, they play a small role in what makes us unique. According to our President and CEO Brian Walker, “The people of Herman Miller have always defined our culture, both through their caring and their commitment to excellence. Through good times, and through difficult periods, it’s that spirit and determination that make our community special.”