Green Business

The following green business video focuses on Google and what they are doing to advance the movement towards sustainability. When multi-billion dollar companies make a conscious effort to protect the environment and minimize their carbon footprint, things are changing. I personally hope that other major corporations realize that taking action to protect the environment is possible. Small steps can lead to major change. Good job Google.

The video is from the Sundance channel. Enjoy!

The following video is about a program in Santa Cruz that officially certifies businesses as green if they follow county guidelines. So far over 70 businesses have been certified as a green business in Santa Cruz. The program is called the Green Business County Program and we salute Santa Cruz for taking steps in helping businesses help the environment.

I just saw the following video by United Natural Foods Inc. This company is a distributor of certified organic foods. Yeah, it is a bit of an infomercial, but it drives the point home that business can maximize profit by being sustainable. Reducing costs and reducing negative impact on the environment is where it’s at for United Natural Foods. An example of how they reduce their environmental impact is the wood used in their offices is sustainably harvested. They have also installed sensors in their offices so when people leave the room the lights automatically shut off. Very cool! A big thumbs up from Green Business to United Natural Foods Inc. for making money with a conscience.

Check out this video. The panel talks about green business and its place in the world, as well as its importance. This is just a clip, but if you like what you see and want to view he entire discussion just click here.

Don’t forget that green and sustainable businesses are changing the world. Consumers are demanding environment friendly alternatives to what has been destroying our planet and business is finally listening - hurray!

The CEO of Stoneyfield Farm, Gary Hirshberg, offers his views on organic farming, specifically how organic farming can not only be profitable but actually reduce production costs. The following is a two minute clip from the talk. If you want to view the entire talk just click here.

We are so proud to be part of the green section at Alltop.com. You can check us out by clicking the image below. Alltop.com links to all the best sites on the internet and offers their rss feeds for a really convenient way to stay up to date.

I found an excerpt of a video that really makes me smile. The speaker talks about how far green business has come over the past two or three years. Clean and affordable energy seems to be spearheading the green business movement, but along the way other businesses will make the shift and become more green. The snowball will get bigger and bigger as time passes.

The Georgia Straight, a free weekly newspaper, puts out a supplement every season and Spring 2008 is devoted to “The Green Life”. This issue includes articles about sustainable homes, greenery, and an interview with environmentalist David Suzuki. If you click on the magazine’s front cover below it will lead you to the electronic version of the issue.

If you are thinking about a green business MBA you might want to check out the school I have linked below. Although I do not endorse the school or its program, I do endorse an MBA focusing on sustainability.

No one really knows how much the green market has penetrated traditional markets but I have come across some interesting information from Morgan Stanley. They have focused on alternative energies, specifically the impact it will have in terms of penetrating the energy market as a whole.

Green Market Penetration Forecast

• World-wide sales from alternative energy sources could reach one trillion dollars by 2030.

• The world’s population explosion, climate change, and much higher costs of traditional fuels, are are significant factors in the growth of alternative energy sources.

• In the year 2020, revenue from alternative energies could top 500 billion dollars.

• The market penetration of biofuels could grow to over 21% by the year 2030.

If the forecasts are accurate green market penetration in the energy industry will be very impressive.

The two major industries where green market penetration has occurred on a mass scale has been the auto and energy sectors. Both industries are followed by just about everyone and certainly every investment bank. It is more difficult to pin numbers to other industries in terms of green market penetration. To get a reasonable estimation all you have to do is use your eyes and ears.

As an example, to get a semi-accurate prediction on the current and future penetration of the organic food industry all you have to do is go to your local supermarket. The organic food sections seem to be growing all the time. First it was vegetables and fruits, now entire aisles are dedicated to organics. Also, observe the vast array of ethically grown coffees.

At the moment the only tangible way to measure much of the green market penetration is through observation. Green companies are simply becoming more recognizable, to the point where they come to the consumer instead of the other way around. Once having to search out these products, they are more readily available to the average person. Eco-friendly products are growing rapidly and are more common than ever.

Eco-friendly Products

Here are five examples of websites that came up when I Googled the keyword term “eco friendly products”.

• Natural Collection
• Eco Mall
• Ecowise
• Nigel’s Eco Store
• Green People

There were over half a million results for that specific term. By just walking my neighborhood I am constantly in awe of the amount of organic and environment friendly products available. From fertilizers to lightbulbs, the growth has been phenomenal.

To sum up this post, I want to stress the point that it doesn’t matter what industry we focus on, green market penetration is real and it is happening at an alarming rate.

Source: Environmental News Network