diff --git a/src/system/runtime_loader/Jamfile b/src/system/runtime_loader/Jamfile
index 4cb8d3624a..9837993920 100644
--- a/src/system/runtime_loader/Jamfile
+++ b/src/system/runtime_loader/Jamfile
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ Objects
 	elf.c
 	export.c
 	heap.c
-	utility.c
+	utility.cpp
 	arch_relocate.c
 	arch_call_init_term.c
 ;
diff --git a/src/system/runtime_loader/elf.c b/src/system/runtime_loader/elf.c
index 56cc87e3e4..25558e36e5 100644
--- a/src/system/runtime_loader/elf.c
+++ b/src/system/runtime_loader/elf.c
@@ -1199,6 +1199,14 @@ load_program(char const *path, void **_entry)
 	remap_images();
 		// ToDo: once setup_system_time() is fixed, move this one line higher!
 
+	// Since the images are initialized now, we no longer should use our
+	// getenv(), but use the one from libroot.so
+	{
+		struct Elf32_Sym *symbol = find_symbol_in_loaded_images(&image, "getenv");
+		if (symbol != NULL)
+			gGetEnv = (void *)(symbol->st_value + image->regions[0].delta);
+	}
+
 	if (sProgramImage->entry_point == NULL) {
 		status = B_NOT_AN_EXECUTABLE;
 		goto err;
diff --git a/src/system/runtime_loader/runtime_loader_private.h b/src/system/runtime_loader/runtime_loader_private.h
index 1e2ceb7171..af9e4d0b1d 100644
--- a/src/system/runtime_loader/runtime_loader_private.h
+++ b/src/system/runtime_loader/runtime_loader_private.h
@@ -13,6 +13,15 @@
 #include <runtime_loader.h>
 
 
+extern struct uspace_program_args *gProgramArgs;
+extern struct rld_export gRuntimeLoader;
+extern char *(*gGetEnv)(const char *name);
+
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
 int runtime_loader(void *arg);
 int open_executable(char *name, image_type type, const char *rpath);
 status_t test_executable(const char *path, uid_t user, gid_t group, char *starter);
@@ -42,7 +51,8 @@ status_t arch_relocate_image(image_t *image);
 void arch_call_init(image_t *image);
 void arch_call_term(image_t *image);
 
-extern struct uspace_program_args *gProgramArgs;
-extern struct rld_export gRuntimeLoader;
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
 
 #endif	/* RUNTIME_LOADER_H */
diff --git a/src/system/runtime_loader/utility.c b/src/system/runtime_loader/utility.cpp
similarity index 59%
rename from src/system/runtime_loader/utility.c
rename to src/system/runtime_loader/utility.cpp
index fcb81861cb..98c3387bda 100644
--- a/src/system/runtime_loader/utility.c
+++ b/src/system/runtime_loader/utility.cpp
@@ -9,17 +9,26 @@
 
 #include "runtime_loader_private.h"
 
+#include <syscalls.h>
+
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
-#include <syscalls.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
 
 
-char *
+char *(*gGetEnv)(const char *name) = NULL;
+
+
+extern "C" char *
 getenv(const char *name)
 {
-	// ToDo: this should use the real environ pointer once available!
-	//	(or else, any updates to the search paths while the app is running are ignored)
+	if (gGetEnv != NULL) {
+		// Use libroot's getenv() as soon as it is available to us - the environment
+		// in gProgramArgs is static.
+		return gGetEnv(name);
+	}
+
 	char **environ = gProgramArgs->envp;
 	int32 length = strlen(name);
 	int32 i;
@@ -33,18 +42,17 @@ getenv(const char *name)
 }
 
 
-int
-printf(const char *fmt, ...)
+extern "C" int
+printf(const char *format, ...)
 {
+	char buffer[1024];
 	va_list args;
-	char buf[1024];
-	int i;
 
-	va_start(args, fmt);
-	i = vsprintf(buf, fmt, args);
+	va_start(args, format);
+	int length = vsprintf(buffer, format, args);
 	va_end(args);
 
-	_kern_write(2, 0, buf, strlen(buf));
+	_kern_write(STDERR_FILENO, 0, buffer, length);
 
-	return i;
+	return length;
 }