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He rifled through papers. He gazed out the window. He lamented traffic congestion and poor air quality — issues he believes affect the quality of life in Louisville. "And that," Green said, "in turn impacts our economic base."

Known for his crusade to increase mass transit and fight the widening of interstate highways, Green, executive director of the Coalition for the Advancement of Regional Transportation, has embarked on a new venture to marry the oft-divergent interests of business and clean air.

Call it environmental entrepreneurship. With little more than an old bicycle and a few fellow riders, Green launched CBD Courier Service last fall. Its mission: establish a bike messenger service downtown, provide an alternative to motorized couriers and help reduce vehicle emissions.

The dawn of the 21st century might seem an unlikely time to go into the bicycle courier business. Correspondence between offices often is handled via e-mail. Bankruptcy filings and legal briefs can be filed online. Besides, bike couriers have long been the dominion of larger cities with traffic in perpetual gridlock.

Starting off, Green made most of the runs himself. Business was slow and sometimes nonexistent. He was a one-man call center, dispatching riders from his cell phone.

Though CBD is far from a household name, in a short period it has become a viable business with customers ranging from law firms to architects. Since last fall, the delivery route has expanded into eastern Jefferson County, Southern Indiana and outside the cluster of city blocks that officially constitute Louisville's downtown business district.

"We may have to change that to something like Cool Bike Delivery Service, because we're getting well beyond the central business district," he joked.

The service relies on a varying number of contract employees, depending on demand. Riders now average about nine runs a day. Flat delivery rates for downtown are $5 per ride. Green said the cyclists have been bonded through an Ohio insurance company.

For the time being, however, the service is more a labor of love than a profit-making venture.

Green sees the "earth-friendly, urban-friendly" role of his bike courier service like this: It will hopefully contribute to lowering vehicle emissions, which in turn will gradually improve air quality. The result — a greener Louisville — might be an incentive to lure new companies to town.

He knows skeptics exist. And he admits that while business in February is expected to outstrip January, it is far from booming.

"None of us could live off what we're making right now," Green said. "That's the level of our business. We would starve to death right now."

But slow growth is growth nonetheless. Last week, CBD began advertising on Louisville's public radio stations. It also plans to open a bike hub in the rear of the new Tiff's record store at 536 S. Fourth St.

"The bike depot will be a service center where bicycles can be mechanically serviced. We will have parts, components, accessories, supplies there," Green said. "What we hope to do is service the ... bicycle-commuting population and grow that population."

He is adamant that a bike courier service can not only survive but excel in Louisville. A new generation is doing business here, he contends, and profits aren't always at the top of its priorities. "The bike courier is just one small model of doing business differently," he said.

April Morris, art consultant for JRA Architects, 730 W. Main St., began using CBD several weeks ago. Morris, who previously lived in Washington, D.C., said she believes in making environmentally sound choices. "I'm very happy to be able to support that kind of a mentality."

But, she noted, it's also a sound business decision. Morris said CBD's rates have beaten those of other courier services.

Marcella Ruiz, art director for Adhawks Advertising and Public Relations Inc., 201 E. Main St., uses CBD for all of its immediate deliveries. She said it has proven more reliable than its competitors.

By all accounts, CBD Courier Service is attempting to break into — and build a niche in — an established market.

During his 20 years working with area couriers, Bee Line Courier Service co-owner and vice president Louie Seger said there has never been a bike messenger service in Louisville.

While Seger said he welcomes the competition, he is leery of how secure the bike messenger service will be for businesses whose packages must arrive quickly and safely at their destinations. Bee Line recently spent $20,000 to outfit each vehicle in its 162-car fleet with a protective grate between the driver's seat and the back seat. "I'm taking more and more measures to secure the packages even more," he said.

Still, Seger said a new competitor will keep the area's courier services on their toes.

"I'm an entrepreneur myself," he said. "I started out with one vehicle, and fortunately the customers were good to us and trusted in us. So I wish him the best of success."