green business

Getting in Hot Water with Bob Hallam and D1 Spas

Glenn Croston — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:41:30 -0500

Bob Hallam is in hot water, and he likes it that way. Hallam founded Dimension One Spas 32 years ago and has grown it into a $60 million business that designs and produces luxury hot tubs sold throughout the United States and in 35 countries worldwide.read more

The Freakonomics of SuperFreakonomics

Glenn Croston — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:38:06 -0400

The new book SuperFreakonomics by Drubner and Levitt has become more than a mere book – it is a news event itself because of the chapter about climate change. The blogosphere and mainstream media are crackling with controversy over this section, practically guaranteeing huge book sales. This is no accident I imagine.

Show Me the Green Money - How to Find Stimulus Funding for Your Cleantech Business

Glenn Croston — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:30:52 -0400

As the US economy slowed, the US Government stepped in with the $787 stimulus package passed in February 2009 as the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). A big chunk of the stimulus, about $67 billion worth

Easing the Switch to Green Office Supplies

Glenn Croston — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:30:56 -0400

No matter what business you’re in, you use office supplies, and greening these office supplies is step in the path toward a more sustainable business. Shoplet.com is helping more businesses and consumers choose green office supplies by making the choice easy.

How to Make Money and Make a Difference

Glenn Croston — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:56:11 -0400

We all hear a lot about the problems we face, and there's no lack of them it seems. Our environment and our economy face great challenges. We need clean water and food. We need to produce energy for our homes and businesses without harming the planet, or ourselves. We nee

How to Make Cool Roofing Cooler

Glenn Croston — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:13:34 -0400

When’s the last time you had a look up on your roof? There’s a lot more going on up there than keeping out the rain. A roof sitting in the summer sun can soak up heat like a sponge, heating up the building that the roof is supposed to protect. Extra heat costs extra money that is spent needlessly on air conditioning.

Biomimicry, the Zoo, and San Diego Too

Glenn Croston — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:11:49 -0400

The Biomimicry Symposium held October 1-2 in San Diego brought together engineers, designers, scientists and others turning to nature as a source of inspiration. For cities, businesses, and entrepreneurs looking for the next great thing, the growing field of biomimicry is

What is Your State’s Green Economy Profile? It Could Be the Key to Your Business and Career Success

Tracey de Morsella — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:41:25 -0400

With experts predicting a jobless recovery, there is one hopeful statistic emerging that is contradicting that prediction. According to The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA), every state is seeing growth in at least one green industry segment. In most instances, this business growth stems from existing strengths in the state. As part of an effort to help states continue to grow these industries, the NGA Center has created a series of reports analyzing emerging "green" economies in each state in terms of the scope of green business activit

Commitment and Your Green Business

JD Carr — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:40:03 -0400

The entrepreneur who practices green living in the home or community organization can easily become a committed green business owner. You just have to find the willpower and long-term commitment to a set of green business strategies. Here are five tips for getting started with transforming your business into a green business.

Going Green in the Professional Services Sector: The Paperless Office

JD Carr — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:14:41 -0400

Incorporating environmentally-friendly practices into office operations is an effective means of contributing to sustainability, cutting overhead expenses, and strengthening public relations. One of the most significant methods of going green at any professional services business is to strive toward the “paperless office.”

7 Ways to Cut Driving to Reduce Your Workplace’s Carbon Footprint

JD Carr — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:49:53 -0400

As sustainability spreads deeper into consumer consciousness, making your small business more environmentally-friendly is not just the right thing to do, it’s a profitable marketing decision. Companies are increasingly eager to publicize efforts to go green with their products, supply chains, and even in their own offices, and customers are increasingly enthusiastic about supporting these companies. For small businesses looking to reduce their workplace’s carbon footprint, finding ways to rely less on automobiles is an effective and rewarding approach.

What Does the Resignation of Van Jones Mean for the Green Economy?

Glenn Croston — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:41:27 -0400

Van Jones announced his resignation today from the White House Council on Environmental Quality where he has worked in recent months as the "green jobs czar" continuing his efforts to promote green jobs as a solution for many of our environmental, social, and economic problems. He has come under pressure recently regarding past statements viewed as "radical". I think that his resignation is unfortunate.

Green Advocacy for Small Businesses Through HR Practices

JD Carr — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:51:32 -0400

So, you want to run your business in a way that advocates sustainability. You have cut your energy consumption and switched to green products and processes. What else can you do? The answer is simple and straightforward. Get your employees on your side.

This article analyzes two HR practices suggested by Lisa Swallow, author of “Green Business Practices for Dummies.”

Biodiesel Revisited

JD Carr — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:47:49 -0400

America is a commuter society. Each and every day millions of Americans hop into cars, trucks, and sports utility vehicles and begin their daily commute. We begin and end our work days amidst the traffic jams, exhaust fumes, screeching brakes, and blaring horns that define the great American commute. Take a moment to stop and take it all in on your ride to work tomorrow. Consider that each and every time we drive we contribute to problem of air pollution. We contribute to the problem of increasing rates of asthma in children. And we contribute to the problem of global warming.

Connecting the Green Dots - Green B2B

Glenn Croston — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:27:36 -0400

A lot of businesses are cutting back on travel and marketing budgets these days, but this does not eliminate the need of businesses to connect with others, including other green businesses. Social networking tools can help businesses meet this need without spending a lot of money, including sites like Greenergy2030 that are growing online communities of green businesses and entrep

The Realities of Global Warming

JD Carr — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:00:16 -0400

The debate over the earth’s future is finally beginning to heat up. (pun intended!) With rising levels of CO2 literally looming overhead, people are starting to realize the enormous repercussions of everyday decisions and actions. Even so, many people still remain unconvinced and uninterested in the cold hard facts of global warming. After all, recognition of a deadly problem would require people to make drastic changes, and the world looks so much easier and attractive when your head is buried in the sand.

Green Light for Efficient Commercial Lighting

Glenn Croston — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:06:02 -0400

Energy efficiency is the cheapest and greenest power around, and in buildings efficiency often comes in the form of better lighting. Most people these days know the curly compact fluorescent bulb used in homes, but most of us are less familiar with the vast opportunity for more efficient lighting in commercial buildings. A wide range of innovative efficient lighting solutions are working their way into commercial buildings with the help of people like Cheryl Allen, President of Green Pl

Home Business 101: 10 Steps to a Green Home Office

JD Carr — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:24:26 -0400

Every day, more and more people are realizing the need to help protect the planet against the impending global warming in whatever way they can. The truth is that we all have a responsibility to the environment. As a home business owner, you too can take part in the green movement. Having a green home office means applying the principles of environment conservation in your work place. It involves the use of practices that are environmentally friendly or cause the least damage to the environment.

SMB Virtualization for Energy Savings

JD Carr — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:07:31 -0400

Microsoft cited the following information from an EPA report to Congress (August 2007):

“The U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency have reported on the high energy costs of data centers, estimating that 1.5 percent of all U.S. energy consumption occurs in data centers. Compounding this problem, server workloads consume on average only five percent of total physical server capacity, wasting hardware, space, and electricity.”

Write an Environmental Management Plan for a Small or Medium Business (SMB)

JD Carr — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:41:09 -0400

As an owner of a small or medium-sized business (SMB), it is terrific that you have decided to tackle making your small business more sustainable and environmentally safe. The good news is that the Small Business Division of the Environmental Protection Agency offers a free guide to writing your own Environmental Management Plan (EMP). This article describes some common elements of the EMP based on the EPA publication. You can also check out the link at the bottom of this article to download the PDF file for the entire guide.

The Ecological Credit Crunch

JD Carr — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:59:49 -0400

Banks and the automobile industry have had the luxury of government bailouts, but what about Mother Nature? Who should be responsible for paying off the huge ecological debt that has accumulated over years of use and abuse of the world’s natural resources? The idea of an ecological credit crunch happening may seem far-fetched, but the truth is we are using up limited resources that are fast running out. We may not have much longer before an ecological credit crisis occurs.

Ecological Debt

Inexpensive Green Tips for Your Small Business

JD Carr — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:10:32 -0400

Amid growing concern for our environment, several businesses have been thinking of turning green. One of the major concerns of employers is the costs this change will incur (a very common misconception). However, being green need not involve an expensive and major redesign of your entire office. There are several inexpensive ways to start making a difference to the world and the environment while actually reducing some costs too.

200 Ways to Fund Green Business

Meredith Gossland — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 23:33:08 -0400

Here are some places to find money for green business. I will be adding 10 a day until I can’t find anymore resources. But I promise that within 20 days I will list 200 funding sources for green business!

200 Green Business Ideas

Meredith Gossland — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:19:04 -0400

I'll be posting 10 green businesses a day over the next 20 days ....some are easy to get into and using free Internet services may actually be free or very low cost to start up..others may run into the hundreds of thousands (even millions) to start. But they will be in virtually every industry from pet care, health care, to sports, construction, and art. You name it there is a green business opportunity in every category of business.

Well here we go.....

Releasing the Energy Efficiency Floodgates

Glenn Croston — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:48:20 -0400

Looking for opportunity? Energy efficiency is hot and it's going to get a lot hotter. Here's why:

1. We waste billions of dollars on wasted energy in our buildings and transportation.