Sometimes we forget why we do things which is why I posted the following video. I started this green business blog because I wanted to spread the message and to showcase small, medium and large companies that make a profit with the environment in mind. We can make a difference by purchasing goods and services from ethical businesses. We can also make a difference by voting in politicians who have strong environmental protection views. If you feel compelled enough to do so, send an email and let the people in Washington know that clean energy legislation must be passed.
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The American auto industry is adding jobs as the transition to using green technologies takes shape. Daily jobs report is saying that automakers are adding jobs to support the integration of green technologies into the marketplace – specifically battery technology for electric powered cars. These jobs will be added gradually over a longer period of time, so the jobs data will increase as time goes by. Green auto jobs have, in part, been created with Department of Energy loans. Plants are shifting to becoming more green so new workers are needed. A gradual expansion is being forcasted as these new types of plants increase in size. People who were laid-off over one year ago are getting their jobs back, as well as new hires are being added as shifts are added to existing plants.
As the reporter points out, these jobs are only a fraction of the numbers of jobs lost in the auto industry over the last few years, but the data speaks for itself. As green technologies in the auto industry develop, more jobs are added to support this wonderful transition.
Today I came across a green business with a twist and although many of you might question my reasons for writing about this business, I just couldn’t resist. We try to showcase green business trends and promote small green businesses. GreenSingles brings together people who are conscious about the environmnet. It’s a wonderful way to meet someone who doesn’t eat meat, or someone who shares the same concerns about the environment that you do. Althoug not a green business in the traditional sense, GreenSingles.com offers a unique opportunity for the environmentalist to meet someone who shares the same core beliefs about the environment. I knew I liked this website after I read a quote that the site has displayed. “It’s not The Environment, it’s Our Environment.
Another interesting note about GreenSingles.com is that it has a section called Green Market, where people can place free advertisements to promote their green business or green service.
Today I came across a green business with a twist and I just could not resist showcasing it. GreenSingles brings together people who are conscious about the environment. It is a wonderful way to meet someone who shares the same passion about the environment as you do. Although not a green business in the traditional sense, GreenSingles.com offers a unique opportunity for the environmentalist. I knew I liked this website after I read a quote from it. “It’s not The Environment, it’s Our Environment.
Another interesting tidbit about GreenSingles.com is that it has a section called Green Market. This area of the website allows people to place free advertisements to promote their green business or green service. So if you are eco-conscious and you’ve have been looking for love in all the wrong places, your luck just might turn around here.
John Grant is an optimist by nature and instead of being an activist he tries to build things, taking the positive appoach to climate change. His best advice to a business person who is asking the question, “where do I start” is simply one word – innovation. He asks companies, what is the one thing that is five or ten years ahead of everyone else and moving things foreward. Everything else will fall into place is one focuses on the innovation.
Obviously, many small businesses that want to transition to becoming a green business don’t have the one magic bullet, but what they do have is the passion to make small and subtle changes that will positively impact the environment and hopefully their company’s bottom line.
Mr.Grant’s believes that businesses should change and adapt to the new green economy by focusing on innovation. By jumping in businesses can immediately begin the transition to a greener company. Mr.Grant also believes a businessis making a mistake by communicating to the public just how many wonderful things that company is doing. moving forward..progress…innovation.
imlication. make it part of a business..either, make subtle changes that keep up with innovation, AND/OR business relaizing that we, as a society, cannot keep going the way that we currently are, almost saying that enough is enough. And how can a business make changes even if huge profit isn’t the end result? Make small innovation to positively impanct the environment, innovations that are necessary anyway, but make those changes green changes.
John Grant is an optimist by nature and the author of the book The Green Marketing Manifesto. He consults companies on going green in the areas of marketing and innovation. His best advice to a business person who asks the question, “where do I start” is simply one word – innovation. Mr.Grant asks companies, what is the one thing that is five or ten years ahead of everyone else and moving things forward? Everything else will fall into place if one focuses on the advancement of products and services. By jumping in fearlessly, businesses can immediately begin the transition to becoming a greener company. Mr.Grant also believes businesses are making mistakes by telling the public just how many wonderful things they are doing to help the environment. Allowing your company’s green products or services speak for itself is a much more effective way to gain credibility in the green economy.
Obviously, many small businesses that want to transition to becoming a green business don’t have the one magic bullet, but what they do have is the passion to make small and subtle changes that will positively impact the environment and hopefully their company’s bottom line.
The Prince’s May Day Network, was founded by the prince of Wales in 2007, over 1300 business have signed up and are commited to run their business in a environmentally friendly way. These businesses have also comiteed to spread the word with regards to the urgency of climate change, and to empower the businesses community as well as individuals to show them that everyone can make a differnce.
Jim Haywood Environment dierector for an organization called Business In the Community. Leads a small team who focuses on climate change. Get businesses to commit to taking action against hurting the environment. Working with business to show how they impact society and the environment.
jim believes that in the United Kingdom, businesses contribute at least 40% of the emmissions that leads to negative climate changes.
How? empowering their employees to make a difference both at home and at work, including working with their supply chain. This thing seems to snowball, where one person can effect the actions of many withing the business community. The next step is to look at the customers. How can they provide services and products to live in a more environmentally friendy way. Mr.Haywood stresses that one of the most important things businesses can do is to show leadership, showing inspiration
Jim Haywood is the Environment Director for an organization called Business In The Community. Working through the Prince’s May Day Network, Mr.Haywood leads a small team that focuses on climate change. His organization tries to get businesses to commit to take action against harming the environment by working with business to show how they impact society and the environment.
Jim believes that in the United Kingdom, businesses contribute to at least 40% of the emissions that leads to negative climate changes.
The Prince’s May Day Network, was founded by the Prince of Wales in 2007. Over 1300 business have signed up and are committed to running their business in a environmentally friendly way. These businesses have also committed to spread the word with regards to the urgency of climate change, and to empower the businesses community as well as individuals to show them that everyone can make a difference.
Mr.Haywood accomplishes these goals by empowering employees of these businesses to make a difference both at home and at work, including working with their supply chain – this is how one person can effect the actions of many within the business community. The next step is to look at the customers and ask how they can provide services and products to live in a more environmentally friendy way. Mr.Haywood stresses that one of the most important things businesses can do is to show leadership.
Being a sustainable company can mean many things, from treating your employees with respect and paying them a fair wage to using organic and recycled materials, all the way to producing your product in a building that leaves small or zero emissions. Turning Point Brewery in Vancouver, BC, Canada claims to be Canada’s first sustainable brewery. They produce a Belgian Style amber beer at their state-of-the-art brewery. The things that makes their brewery so unique is the fact that it is completely powered by a wind turbine. The following video shows the installation of the wind turbine at the brewery. Although handcrafted, the beer isn’t made with organic ingredients but they do say that they use less energy, conserve water and of course, they generate power with their wind turbine.
When a single individual takes the initiaive to start a business they must me applauded. When that person starts a green business they should be recocognized. David Miller is a man from halifax who saw/sees an opportunity for Canadian companies who want to do green business in the United States but don;t know how to start, well, Mr.Miller saw an opportunity and he wants everyone to know that HE is where to start. Mr. Miller opened a consulting business in the United States, suburnab Washington, DC, and is addressing an unfilled need in helping businesses in the Atlantic provinces of Canada who want to step into green business in America.
The Obama administration as set aside tens of billions of dollars for the green initiative and many businesses, those inside and outside of America, see incredible opportinities to prosper because of this inititative. Mr.Miller is brisging the gap between those business that want to adopt a green approach, to create new markets and revenue strams, but don;t know where to start. Mr.Miller is that bridge and will undoubtedly thrive because of it. He has seen an untapped market and set up an office to help the numerous Maritimes provinces who want to be part of one of the most exciting times in business.
When a single individual takes the initiative to start a business they must be applauded and if that person starts a green business they should be recognized. David Miller is a man from Halifax who sees an opportunity for Canadian companies that want to do green business in the United States but don’t know how to start, well, Mr.Miller saw an opportunity and he wants everyone to know that HE is where to start. Mr. Miller opened a consulting business in the United States, suburban Washington, DC, and is addressing an unfilled need in helping businesses in the Atlantic provinces of Canada that want to step into green business in America.
The Obama administration has set aside tens of billions of dollars for the green initiative and many businesses, those inside and outside of America, see incredible opportunities to prosper because of it. Mr.Miller is bridging the gap between those business that want to adopt a green approach to create new markets and revenue streams, but don’t know where to start. Mr.Miller is that bridge and will undoubtedly thrive because of it. He sees an untapped market and set up an office to help the numerous Maritime provinces who want to be participate in one of the most exciting times in business history.
It’s one thing for a large company to slowly transition into a becoming a ‘greener’ business, but it is an entirely different thing for a single person to move a couple of thousand miles away into another country and set up a business solely based on the belief of the potential of the green economy. Mr.Miller is putting all of his eggs on one basket. Some people say ‘don’t put all your eggs in one basket’ while others, highly successful individuals, say ‘put all your eggs in one basket, then watch that basket’. This is exactly what Mr.Miller is doing and he is betting heavily on the green economy. We, at Green Business, wish Mr.Miller all of the success in the world. We hope his vision and business savvy create wealth beyond his wildest dreams. Those who take these kinds of risks need to be rewarded.
Businesses in North Carolina – listen up! The North Carolina Green Business Fund is open for business and want to give away grants of up to $500,000, totaling more than $8,000,000, funded by the Recovery Act. The money will be awarded to entrepreneurial, job creating endeavors in the state of North Carolina. This fund is directed to small and medium sized business with 100 or fewer employees. The proposals must keep or create jobs in areas of the state that are having a difficult time economically. The prposal must fulfil at leat one of the following criteria:Save energy, Install or generate renewable energy, reduce green house gases, produce alternative fuels, promote building energy efficiency.
These are just a few of the areas that are keys to being successful in your proposal. More in formation can be found at the NC Green Business Fund website. The Pre-prosal deadline is January 19th, 2010, so get cracking and get some of the grant money that you deserve to further devlop your business. This is a wonderful opportunity for small green businesses to grow in the green economy. Even if you don’t think you have a chance to get a grant, read the all of the site documents, you never know.
Small businesses in North Carolina – listen up! The North Carolina Green Business Fund is open for business and wants to give away individual grants of up to $500,000, totaling more than $8,000,000, funded by the Recovery Act. The money will be awarded to entrepreneurial, job creating endeavors in the state of North Carolina. This fund is directed at small and medium-sized businesses with 100 or fewer employees. The proposals must keep or create jobs in areas of the state that are having a difficult time economically. The proposal must fulfil at least one of the following criteria: Save energy, install or generate renewable energy, reduce green house gases, produce alternative fuels, promote building energy efficiency.
These are just a few of the areas that are keys to being successful in your proposal. More information can be found at the NC Green Business Fund website. The pre-proposal deadline is January 19th, 2010, so get cracking and get some of the grant money that you deserve to further develop your business. This is a wonderful opportunity for small green businesses to grow in the green economy. Even if you don’t think you have a chance to get a grant, read all of the site’s documents, you never know.
People always ask me to show them a great example of a green business and now I think I have found the perfect green business model. I was in total shock when I watched the following video because it really encompasses everything that a true green business is.
Two University students gave up lucrative careers in finance to start a business based on sustainability. They grow gourmet mushrooms from used coffee grounds – how amazing is that? The company’s name is BTTR Ventures and they operate out of Fresno, California. The company’s name is pronounced ‘better’ and it stands for ‘back to the roots’. Its founders, Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora, parlayed their love of business and the environment into a thriving green business that already has grocery giant Whole Foods as a client.
Invovative to cut costs. Make trucks more effeciaent. It, districution, fleet, LED are the norm now, thoook for innovation.
By focuses on getting ‘greener’ can speed up economic recovery. Taking a new path with big chunks of their opperations.Zero landfill waste, SUBERU in AMERICA.
Goal being sustainability. Person mention Walmart, series of innovations. new trucks to trainig drivers to be more efficient behind the wheel.. Make sustainabilty a part of normal work day. HOW?
1) set aside TIME,,,ask your employees ‘how can we be more efficenta? How can we get greener? Brainstorm. By becoming greener you might become more profitable. Less waste, more green, less financial watse.
2) Set aside money. Put money into research and developemnt – money that goes strictly to green projects.
3) awards and incentives. the ways we normanlly get people to do things.
By making it the everday normal part of business, then you wont have to wait for something, it is there, it is working, and it is getting bigger and better. Invest in yourself and in your comapny in these ways and you will surely become a green and more profitable business.
Andrew Winston is interviewed by Harvard Business Publishing on green recovery. He offers some amazing tips to green your business, and by doing so, becoming more efficient and profitable- being innovative to cut costs. By focusing on getting ‘greener’ we can actually speed up economic recovery. A company can become more efficient by taking a new path with big chunks of their operations. How does a business become greener? One way is to make their trucks more efficient. Also using Information technology and changing their distribution, fleet, and making LED lighting products the norm.
Look for innovation in any and all ways. In the end the goal is sustainability. A specific example mentioned is how Walmart made two innovations. They updated their trucks as well as training their drivers to be more efficient behind the wheel. Companies must make sustainability a part of the normal work day.
Mr. Winston says invest in yourself and in your company in these ways and you will surely become a green and more profitable business.
1. Set aside time: Ask your employees ‘how can we be more efficient? How can we get greener? Brainstorm. By becoming greener you might become more profitable. Less waste+More green=Less financial waste.
2. Set aside money: Put money into research and development, money that goes strictly to green projects.
3. Awards and incentives: The ways companies normally get people to do things.
