Even in financially tough times, these Strategies of Abundance reflect interrelationships between personal finance and business, especially for small business owners. The key for ecopreneurs is how they use their business to make the world a better place. Profits from a green enterprise are the catalyst for ecopreneurs to achieve their Earth Mission, whether to restore ecological integrity or make photovoltaic systems affordable to all.

STRATEGY #1: Stop paying the banker.

The longer you hold a mortgage, the more you work for the bank and the more profitable you make them. For comparison, below is a chart from our book, ECOpreneuring, reflecting how interest can pile up on a $100,000 mortgage at 7 percent interest for terms of 15 and 30 years. While the monthly payment is less for the 30-year mortgage (the primary reason many of us choose it), we end up paying more than double for the use of the same pot of money.

By accelerating our mortgage payments on our 30-year fixed mortgage by paying down the principal when we could, we have the ability to earn less income to pay the bank than if we did otherwise over the long-term. Prepayment on principal is usually acceptable and completely legal. Every time you pay down the principal, the remaining interest and balance is recalculated, meaning that more of your regular monthly payments go to the principal and not interest payments.

For example, in our very first homeowner mortgage payment of $722, only $7 went to principal and the remaining $715 went to finance charges. After the interest rates plummeted in the early 2000s, we refinanced the 30-year mortgage when we were able to secure a significantly lower interest rate, reducing the monthly payment to $653. Ten years later, after we realized just how much we were working for the bank and were well into our accelerated paydown of the principal, $610 of our monthly mortgage payment went to principal and $45 to interest. We paid off our farmhouse mortgage about two decades early, saving the need to earn about $95,000 in future income and freeing us to focus on the issues we cared about most, not making already profitable bankers wealthier.

The bank owns your house for many years before you have much equity (paid-off principal). By the end of a $100,000 mortgage, your $100,000 actually ends up costing you $239,508. As Rob Roy, author of Mortgage Free: Radical Strategies for Home Ownership, says, “If there is any question as to who owns your house, stop making your mortgage payment.” He, and we, suggests owning the house without the bank owning it for you. After all, the word “mortgage” is from the Old French, mort gage, or “death pledge.” We agree with Roy that prepayment of your mortgage is among the best investments you can make, the quicker the better.

Those who argue for the mortgage interest deduction benefit of holding a mortgage, they must regularly itemize their federal income tax return. If, on the other hand, you do not itemize deductions and take the standard deduction on your federal income tax return, having a mortgage serves no taxation benefit. For most Americans, you will come out ahead paying off the mortgage rather than saving a few dollars on your federal income taxes.

Mortgage interest, however, may help reduce your taxable burden on investment property where you have rental income, a topic for a future blog. In this case, an income producing asset (say a recreational cabin you rent out, proceeds from which pay the mortgage and support sustainable forestry) could be considered “good debt” since it generates positive cash flow and provides a good ROE, “return on environment” at the same time. A CPA and tax advisor can offer professional guidance.

Dumping debt also applies to credit cards, college or car loans and other consumer loans. Just one credit card debt with a balance of $15,000 and a monthly minimum payment of $300 based on an interest rate of 13 percent would take nearly 20 years to pay off, amounting to nearly $9,000 in interest, according to the website Cardweb.com. What good are contributions to a 401(k) or IRA with a stock portfolio earning 10 percent a year when you’re paying credit card debt at 16 percent? The same holds true for vehicle financing, especially if the financing offered is stretched over six years. Recent college grads don’t set out to be poor savers. On average, they’re saddled with a median undergraduate student loan debt of over $19,000.

How have you broken free from the financial stranglehold of our present debt-focused financial system?

And yet, there may be times that nothing’s coming to you. You’re either stuck for a new idea, or having doubts about or missing pieces to what you’re currently working on. In steps Springwise. Springwise is hub for people to share ideas, and is smartly designed for rapid skimming, by category, keyword, and country.

Now, you may say, what’s new about this? There are lots of business and entrepreneurial blogs and publications out there. Fair enough. Amsterdam based Springwise puts it well when they say,

Springwise scans the globe for the most promising business ventures, ideas and concepts that are ready for regional or international adaptation, expansion, partnering, investments or cooperation. We ferociously track more than 400 global offline and online business resources, as well as taking to the streets of world cities, digital cameras at hand.

They also enlist the eyes and minds of an additional 8000 Springspotters in 70 countries to keep an on the ground perspective on what’s going on.

What does this look like?

One idea that stuck out to me is the MyHab. In the UK, where music festivals and rain are both abundant, they have created temporary shelter that is durable, waterproof, raised, and recyclable. Rather then have to lug, set up, break down, clean (or perhaps throw away) a tent for the festival, you reserve one, similar to a hotel, and can have them visually customized.

Then when you’re done, you leave, nothing more to do, while MyHab breaks them down and recycles them. Now it might be said why don’t they reuse them, but still, this is a step ahead towards reducing waste and increasing the quality of experience  for festival goers. Or you might say “Hmm, I have an idea to improve upon this service. I’ll do it myself, modifying it for the US. Or help consult with MyHab to further strengthen their offer.”

The ideas here, no matter the category, seem skewed towards the sustainable and the social ventures. But there are others that are nonetheless intriguing, like the pedestrian curtain. Perhaps impractical, but definitely food for thought.

Readers: Where are some of your favorite sources of inspiration for ideas? What are some interesting ideas you’ve seen lately? Please comment below.

Additional resources:

Idea Blob: An Infectious Way To Fund Your Green Business

Green Dreams: Inspiration From Green Design Businesses

How To Approach A Venture Capital Firm With Your Eco Business

Kristen Groos Richmond, Co-founder/CEO of Revolution Foods, who has a wonderful if improbable company, which I wrote about before, can speak first-hand about the ways entrepreneurs can attract professional investors while pursuing goals such as connecting local farmers and consumers.

However, audience members asked questions that were not easily answered, such as how do small organic farmers, who want to wait until their fruit is ripe to pick it, interface with the industrialized major grocery chains who need to receive wholesale goods on a highly scheduled basis?

The panelists, which also included Paul Dolan (former President of Fetzer Vineyards) and Fred Kirshenmann (of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture) spoke of both the initial success stories as well as the major challenges. In a corollary to the saying, “the jury is still out,” the panelists could not really answer whether capital is going to flow to organic startups on such a massive scale.

But there are millions of ecopreneurial enterprises prospering throughout the U.S. and around the world. Perhaps you’re one, too.

So, we have formed a partnership with EcoSector.com, an on-line portal serving as a unique conduit for growing the green economy, offering opportunities to share video clips, feature photographs of products or services, and display blogs. Besides EcoSector.com’s search function, find possible funding support, announce new products or services, or inspire other ecopreneurs. It’s a dynamic ecopreneuring portal that incorporates ideas from those business owners who use it. Perhaps best of all, is completely free to use.

Among the many features which might help you launch or grow your business include:

• Secure possible funding support for your enterprise
• Foster business-to-business networking with other sustainable business enterprises
• Share your knowledge and experience to help inspire other ecopreneurs in as they launch or develop their enterprise
• Garner new business leads or sales
• Locate new employees or interns eager to work in the green economy for a sustainable enterprise
• Submit timely new information (for example, a press releases about a product launch) or events

Share Your Ecopreneur Profile on EcoSector.com

Submit your own ecopreneur profile on EcoSector.com and connect with other enterprising ecopreneurs who are changing the world for the better through the businesses they create. There is no fee to join the EcoSector.com portal.

For some ecopreneurs, it might even bring the needed capital to get their enterprise off the ground or develop it further. We look forward to learning more about your green business or enterprise.

Spoken like a true social entrepreneur, I told Jacob when I spoke with him this week.

Ecolabeling.org addresses the challenge that many of us have: What do all of these certifications, seals of approval, standards and verifications actually mean. Is it truly green or is it just greenwashing? The independent database of over 300 labels (and growing) seeks to provide a one stop site for information on all types of green labels.

The goal of the site is to make it easier for people to make green choices. Ecolabelling.org and its blog provide up to date information and metrics on ecolabels around the globe arranged by type and region.

“The biggest interest in green products is shown by ‘mini van Moms’”, explains Malthouse. “And they don’t have time to research the labels on every product they buy.”

I can attest to that!

We started this site because the sheer number of labels can be enough to make your shopping trolley spin. We found ourselves asking who’s deciding what’s green, and what do these labels actually mean?

Malthouse and his team have three goals for their site.

1. Provide information that is useful
2. Provide information that is neutral and inclusive
3. Share the data wherever it makes sense

I thought I’d start by finding out if they were reaching their first goal. Does the site provide useful information? A search on their site for Whole Trade Guarantee, a label prominently displayed on products at Whole Foods Markets, I found a brief explanation from the Whole Foods site and a link to it, as well as, a yet to be completed template of information about the label.

O.K. That’s more than I knew before. But, Malthouse and his team obviously have some work to do. He admits, they are still in start up stage, still growing. The volume of work ahead of them is somewhat daunting actually.

Part of the plan is to make ecolabeling.org an interactive site, one in which users of green products play a role. He hopes that as word gets out users will contribute more information and make this a central clearinghouse for green label information.

I hope so too!

Pressing him on the how he will make money issue, Malthouse mentions the possibility of a non-profit or a “solutions” based for–profit.

“I’m not sure”, he says, “Opportunities to capitalize will come up”. And that to a large extent is what defines a social entrepreneur. A twist on the common adage, “Do what you love and the money will come,” social entrepreneurs do what does good and feel confident they will be rewarded.

Related Posts:

Certified Green: To Be, or Not To Be, That is the Question

Times They Are a Changing: Green Marketing Tips for Eco Entrepreneurs in 2008

Is Anybody Watching? The Green Gap Survey Reveals Consumers Want Regulation of Environmental Claims

Desperately Seeking Certification – Is It Worth It For Eco-Entrepreneurs?

My preaching, my free advice to business owners, my reaching out to people who never consider their carbon footprint–it all happens spontaneously. But it keeps happening, and it feels like the right thing to do. A few months ago, while shopping and talking to the owner of my two favorite women’s clothing boutiques here in Evanston, IL, where I live, I started explaining to Kelly how she could make her businesses greener. I gave her standard advice: install compact fluorescent lights, change to low-flow plumbing, get a more efficient heating and cooling system, recycle more. Even though I have no official training in how to green a business, the ideas popped into my head, and the conversation flowed naturally. As I presented the options to her, she listened.

More recently, during our annual trip to Charleston, SC, to celebrate Passover with my husband’s family, I found myself in the position of teaching far less enlightened small business owners how they could make their restaurants and businesses more environmentally friendly. We stopped for lunch one day at a small restaurant that serves tasty home-made soups and salads. Though the owners of Ladles are proud of their homemade soups, and they used some local ingredients, they serve all of their sit-down meals on disposable plastic plates, bowls, and cutlery. When I asked the manager if the restaurant recycled any of these products, and she told me that they did not, I pointed out that investing in some reusable serving items would be a much more environmentally friendly option.

The next day, while having a shared breakfast at the inn where we were staying, I met a couple who sold kayaks in North Carolina. In town for a boat fair, they also got some free advice from a green business advocate: me! One of the owners explained that they sold some kayaks that were made locally when I asked if they had a green business, the concept of a carbon footprint was completely foreign to him. I explained the concept of fossil fuel usage and greenhouse gases to him, discussed ways in which he could minimize his carbon footprint, and then finished my breakfast.

Striking up green business conversations seems to be happening more frequently in my life these days. I guess I am on a mission.

Image credit: zorilla at Flickr under a Creative Commons license

After all, we, like many ecopreneurs we’ve interviewed or met, don’t live to work. Instead, we find our livelihood and the businesses we navigate deeply satisfying as we make the world a better place through the green businesses — for profit and non-profit alike — that we own or direct.

The key to our approach to ecopreneurship is looking to nature for inspiration. Our green business is both diversified in enterprises as well as the products and services we offer, filling economic niches in much the same way as plants, animals and fungi fill ecological niches that create sustainable, interdependent and healthy ecological systems. For example, there are thousands of bed & breakfasts in the U.S., but only a few that specialize in serving vegetarian (or vegan) organic breakfasts with ingredients mostly harvested a hundred feet from their back door, like we do. That the Inn is completely powered by the wind and sun and welcomes children as guests, serves as additional niche experiences we offer our guests who we generally refer to in our ECOpreneuring book as “conserving customers,” not consumers — but more on this in a future blog.

In any given year, our green business receives mini-paychecks from about 50 businesses including publishers and non-profit organizations, plus thousands of dollars from individuals who stay at Inn Serendipity, order products from our website or buy books at our speaking events. What we work on changes or adapts to new opportunities, interests, passions and our evolving Earth Mission.

Our Diversified Income-producing Portfolio of Work can be summarized as follows:

(a) Inn Serendipity Bed & Breakfast (29%): We manage all facets of this two
bedroom bed and breakfast, sharing cleaning, breakfast preparations and hosting guests.

(b) Consulting (18%): Because of our varied backgrounds and educational experiences, we’ve consulted on projects including database management, public relations, advertising and marketing endeavors.

(c) Freelance writing and photography (14%): Among our passions is the need
to express in words or photographs how we interpret the world. John’s photography and writing clients are varied and international, with a focus on tourism, environmental issues and sustainable development.

(d) Special projects (12%): Sometimes one-time opportunities offer the ability to generate our electricity or work on specially funded projects. This is the most serendipitous aspect of our income.

(e) Inn Serendipity Woods cabin rental (9%): We manage cabin rental contracts, website marketing and guest relations, while also maintaining the cabin and property. Much of our work on this 30-acre property is devoted to sustainable forestry (silviculture) and reforestation and organic agriculture (we rent a few acres to an Amish neighbor to grow corn organically, tilling, of course, with a horse team). Because we have no quarterly sales goals we must meet (or profits-focused shareholders), we can invest in the future abundance of the land and practice stewardship.

(f) Workshop facilitation and speaking (8%): Conferences and fairs allow us
to share our perspectives while learning about the many inspiring ways others
have embarked on similar journeys. From the renewable energy and sustainable living fairs to the Green Festival, our presentations or workshops hopefully jumpstart others into action and reinvigorate our commitment.

(g) Cottage retail store and book sales (8%): We sell our books, photography prints and handmade mugs to B & B guests.

(h) Authoring books (3%): Much more involved than writing for magazines or newspapers, authoring books provides an avenue to address in a comprehensive and artistic way those issues closest to our hearts. Income varies greatly from nothing in one year to several thousand dollars in another.

(i) Farm-direct agricultural products (1%): We sell super-energy-efficient LED lights for greenhouses, surplus flowers, vegetables, fruits and herbs grown on the farm, and eventually, unique, niche agricultural crops grown in the strawbale greenhouse.

We search for synergistic business activities that cross over from one project to the next, or help lead to new opportunities. While hired to complete a business and marketing plan for one non-profit organization, for example, we prepared a sample three-page feature article for a major statewide magazine and submitted it on spec (non-assigned) as a part of the public relations plan. It was accepted, helping position the organization as a conservation leader in the state. We synergistically cultivated both our PR skills and writing abilities to produce a better result for the client and possibly lead to future freelance writing projects for a statewide magazine. As knowledge workers with varied skill sets, we seek a natural balance of interrelated projects that challenge us while also helping us achieve our overarching Earth Mission.

A green business needs some money to make money. For ecopreneurs, money is a tool to serve their Earth Mission. Many have discovered how little they need, balanced by how creative they are in their approach to financing start-up. In today’s world of outsourcing and subcontracting, you really don’t need to own the factory any more. Profits can be plowed back into the business to grow and enhance the enterprise or be reduced by expenses associated with off setting carbon emissions, restoring the land or compensating vendors or employees beyond the “free market price” established for their services or products.

How have you created a diversified portfolio of work for your green business? More importantly, how have you used the profits of your business to reinvest in making the world — or your community — a better place? Within the next week, please consider sharing your own ecopreneur profile on our ECOpreneuring book website for others to be inspired by — or perhaps help you secure needed funds for your enterprise.

Will companies pull back from risky projects? Or will they re-jigger their efforts to support products that thrive in a recession…new or not.

Suddenly, innovation has a bull’s-eye on its back. As the recession debate shifts from “what if” to “how long,” claims a recent article in Business Week on the world’s most innovative companies.

Green entrepreneurs have no choice. Innovation is why they are in business. But, what strategies make the most sense for eco-friendly businesses facing a not-so-friendly economy?

Professor Scott Shane, writes about Four Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make in a Recession. How do these apply to green businesses?

1.Failing to take advantage of decreasing costs. Most businesses are both suppliers and customers at the same time. When demand slackens, your suppliers are hurting too. So often you can strike a better deal to cut your costs by paying your suppliers less or hiring better people at a lower cost.

Understanding this basic concept and being willing to bargain with your suppliers holds true for eco entrepreneurs too. But, because we often have few suppliers from which to choose recessionary times are those when it is important to evaluate the health of those suppliers and either seek out new ones or consolidate your business with the strongest.

2. Thinking the only way to increase demand is to cut price. Price cuts aren’t the only way to stimulate demand, and they aren’t the best approach for entrepreneurs. On average, entrepreneurs are more successful when they compete on service, quality, or something other than price.

Price cutting is a strategy that works best in a very competitive environment when there are easily substitutable products. That’s not often the situation in which a green entrepreneur finds him or herself. On the other hand, there is a “tipping point” a price at which a consumer won’t pay more for a better quality or greener product. That point may be dropping in your product category so it’s worth doing some research to see at what price the consumer isn’t willing to pay to go green.

3. Failing to recognize increased competition. In a recession, competition accelerates because more businesses are chasing less total demand. In addition, when unemployment rises, people start businesses …further increasing competition. So the need to have a competitive advantage is even more important in a recession than in a booming economy.

Recessions are well known as a time when down sized executives and laid off workers start businesses. Green is hot so many of those companies will be selling eco friendly products. Just as competition increases from large mainstream companies, it is also increasing from small start-ups. This is the time to ensure that you have a strong unique positioning and are promoting that differentiation at every opportunity.

4. Forgetting that some products, or even whole businesses, are counter cyclical. When customers cut back on their spending, they often substitute one product for another. For instance, in a recession, people might cut back the number of steak dinners that they eat out. But, … increase their purchase of cheaper foods, like pasta, making pasta a counter cyclical product. So, entrepreneurs need to avoid assuming that demand for everything goes down in a recession.

Many green products should actually do very well during this downturn. Though you may have been promoting your company’s products as eco friendly if they are also money saving, now is the time to emphasize that benefit. Products and services that are both are sure winners in this economy.

Related Posts:

How to Reach Green Consumers - Using Psychographics To Define Your Target Market

Consumers Say They’ll Use More Coupons. How Can Eco-Entrepreneurs Benefit?

Get Advice on Founding and Funding a Green/Clean Technology Business

Photo Courtesy: aturkus on Flickr under Creative Commons License

Last week while at the Green California Summit, I saw a beautiful and practical solution to this: Helix Wind. With its elegant, rippled white shape, and the ability to work with any wind greater then 4.5 mph, requiring only 14 feet in height, these turbines bring it all home, literally.

How much power do they bring? 1KW for personal, 2KW for businesses, enough to meet as much as half your energy needs. There’s no need to have a battery to store the power generated as in solar panels, as “net metering,” or power metering that accounts for energy put back into the grid as well as what’s used, can be used as credit towards your energy costs.

There are many micro turbines out there, but none has the unique undulating helix form of this. So? Beyond being aesthetically interesting, this enables it to catch air from any direction, more efficiently, with less needed. The unique shape apparently is also, they claim, completely safe for birds - one of the stumbling blocks to greater implementation of such devices. Silencing other critics is the fact that it’s, well, silent in operation.

Now what about cost, rebates? While not yet as prevalent as the ones for solar (have a look at the DSIRE site for a fine resource for local, state, and federal renewables incentives of all sorts) there are some generous ones happening right now. For example, the Emerging Renewables Program in California gives $1.50-$2.50/watt on systems, up to 30 KW. That’s thousands even for the smallest of Helix Wind’s systems.

To see them in action, have a look at this, below:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/q9flSPAdOLk" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

So, is wind right for you or your business? With systems such as Helix Wind’s, it’s looking more and more so every day.

Readers: What’s been your experience with wind power? Have any suggestions, hints, tips, products you like? Please share, below.

Additional resources:

Take your Business Off-Grid, or Become a Net Producer of Energy: Learn How at the MREA’s Renewable Energy Fair

Top Five Micro Wind Turbines

Wind Boom Creates Rural Jobs in Texas

From an enterprising individual operating a small retail business to an inventor who comes up with a better way to fuel our vehicles, from the founder of a non-profit organization to the organic grower who feeds our local community, just about anyone can be an ecopreneur and run a green business.

Are you one? See how many questions you answer affirmatively below.

• Are you more interested in what you do and with whom you work than how much you make?

• Does community, environmental and social issues drive what you focus on with respect to your livelihood or volunteer time?

• Do you view your experiences, growing and diverse knowledge base and unique skills sets as the primary value you can offer clients, customers or workplace?

• Do you think the late Nobel Laureate economist Milton Friedman ate too many Big Macs after he argued — much to the chagrin of the massive multinational corporations and millionaire politicians — that “the only social responsibility of business is to make profits”?

• Do you focus your life pursuits on helping others or restoring, enhancing or preserving the environment?

• Are you more concerned about achieving balance in your life, seeking quality of life that doesn’t adversely impact the Earth or exploit people?

• Do you readily try new ideas, explore new ways of doing things or adopt new practices or use new products or services that reflect your values?

• Are you mindfully aware of your direct and indirect impacts on life on Earth, and accept responsibility that results in you being actively engaged as a steward of limited resources for the benefit of all life, not just for the present generations but for future generations as well?

• Is work a reflection of your passions and values, deeply fulfilling and providing meaning and purpose, or merely only the focus for paying the bills, building personal wealth and funding your retirement?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of the questions above, then welcome to the ecopreneurial movement that is changing the world for the better.

Everyone can follow their dreams. Everyone has them. No more specialized training is needed than what you’ve already experienced up to now. As explored in ECOpreneuring, a change of perspective, a new approach to money and wealth and the necessary hard-thinking work of pruning your passions and forming your Earth Mission, your life purpose and business plan, are the necessary ingredients.

This is the first of many blogs that will touch on the many aspects that define ecopreneurial enterprises and the ecopreneurs who guide them. I hope to learn more about your approach to ecopreneurship, since diversity is both the foundation of the “honey bee economy” and the Earth’s ecological systems on which we depend.

Related to this, within the next week, Lisa Kivirst and I will be collaborating with another organization to provide a web portal to share your approach to ecopreneurship, learn about other enterprising ecopreneurs, seek funding support, and network with other green businesses.

There’s always more you can do, but the most important thing is to do something! Baby steps in the right direction are certainly better than going backwards or not moving at all. Thankfully, many green business practices are not only eco-friendly, but they’re friendly on the company budget as well. So even if the benefits to the planet are hard to see, benefits to your bottom line may be more visible.

Since I’m a habitual list-maker, here’s a handy list of ten simple things you can do to make your business a bit more sustainable every day.

1. Printing Less Stuff = Using Less Paper

Paper makes up about 35% of our waste stream - even though it’s one of the easiest materials to re-use and recycle! You can help reduce this waste by using as little paper as possible, and being smart about the paper you do use. First of all, you don’t need to print every e-mail. Just organize your inbox to make e-mails easier to find and reference. You can encourage others not to print your e-mails as well. Make back-up copies of important files and e-mails and keep them on an external drive, instead of storing boxes of paper files. When you do need to print important documents, make sure you use a sustainable paper, and set your printer or copier to print on both sides of the page.

2. Go Digital with Your Documents

A great way to reduce paper use and get contracts and documents signed more quickly is to use electronic signatures. Adobe Acrobat Professional allows you to sign PDF files digitally, as well as create PDF documents with signature fields for clients to sign. Or you could use software such as DocuSign or e-signature to securely sign documents and get signatures from clients and vendors. I send proposals, contracts, and invoices entirely through e-mail as PDF attachments. Clients can then e-sign the documents and send them back, and we both have a signed copy without having to print anything. I also use PayPal to send invoices, which gives me the ability to accept credit cards and receive instant payment.

3. Pull that Plug

You aren’t working all hours of the night (at least I hope not), so why does your computer need to be on? Turn off everything you possibly can before you leave the office each day. I plug my computer, printer, external hard drive, and other office gadgets into one power strip, so I can just turn it off to make sure none of my appliances are secretly pilfering energy. I also program my computer to turn off automatically at a certain time each night, just in case I forget. You can also set your monitor to turn off after a few minutes of inactivity. And never leave things like cell phone chargers plugged in when you’re not using them. They still draw energy, regardless of whether there’s anything plugged into them. Speaking of energy efficiency, make sure you stock your office with energy-saving appliances and compact florescent light bulbs.

4. Get Waste Wise

Recycling is never a chore when it’s easier than throwing something away. Place paper recycling bins in convenient locations all over the office, like right next to copiers and mail boxes. Keep clearly labeled bins in several central locations such as break rooms. Everywhere there is a trash can, there should be a recycling bin. If you have a cafeteria or break room in your office, consider adding a compost bin. An employee or neighbor with a garden wouldn’t mind the free plant food, and worm bins are compact with very little odor.

5. Work With Like-Minded Companies

Chances are, there are businesses in your area that are also going green or certified green. Network with them and use their services when you need them. Part of being a green business is making sure that you do your best to ensure that your supply chain is green, too. Seek out green vendors for your business needs, whether it be printing business cards, hosting your web site, or cleaning your office building.

6. One Word: Freecycle!

Need some shelves for your office and don’t have a budget for new furnishings? You never know what you might find on freecycle. One person’s junk is definitely another’s treasure. If you have a large company, you could even organize an office-wide barter party, where everyone brings items they don’t use any more to swap for things they might need from others. When you upgrade your office equipment after years of use, pass it on if it’s still useful. List it on freecycle or donate it to a charity that may need it.

7. Institute a Company Recycling Program for Electronics

In addition to recycling the usual paper, cans, and bottles in the office, don’t forget about the e-waste that is so essential to businesses and so toxic to the environment. When old electronic equipment finally bites the dust, don’t just toss it, but make it company policy to recycle everything you can. Recycling for Charities makes recycling e-waste like cell phones, cameras, and palm pilots a breeze - and you can choose which charity gets the proceeds from your recycled electronics! Many computer manufacturers offer take-back programs for old computers, so make use of them.

8. Slow the Flow of Junk Mail

Junk mail may be one of the most wasteful things known to man. When the plague of unwanted mailings seems to never end, there is something you can do about it. There are free services out there that will remove you from mailing lists, and you can also remove your name from the Direct Marketing Association’s member prospect list.

9. Build Your Office Green from the Floor Up

If you’re lucky enough to be able to afford an office remodel, go green from the floor to the skylights. Use eco-friendly flooring options made from renewable or recycled materials. Use sustainable fabrics made from hemp or bamboo for window coverings, or get them second hand. Lengths of bamboo make great curtain rods, too. Get lots of green building ideas at Green Building Elements.

10. Educate Yourself

There is always more you can do to make your business more sustainable. And the only way to make progress is to know where you’re headed. Keep up with environmental news and green business trends to identify areas you can improve on. Make your own checklist of green business practices to implement and set deadlines for crossing them off your list. Share green news and tips with your co-workers, employees, and clients. Making yourself an “expert” on sustainability will not only build your green brand, but it will earn respect from potential clients, customers, and your peers. Of course I’m biased, but I can’t think of a better resource than Ecopreneurist for green business tips, so check back often to learn how to keep your business on the path to sustainability.

This article is the eighth in a series called Green Dreams following my journey starting a green design business. You can learn along with me: read the series introduction, see some green business resources, get inspired, learn how to write a business plan, find out how to name your business, learn why sustainability should be a part of your planning from the beginning, and avoid commuting by working from home. Stay tuned for more on starting a green business!

Photo credit: Snap-shooter, via flickr.

In a conversation with Justin Brown of First Global Xpress, I began to find out: All the major international shippers use a “hub and spoke” system to distribute packages. In a case of bureaucracy overriding logic, a package sent from New York to Europe may first go to New Jersey, then go several miles in the wrong direction, to Memphis Tennessee, then back overseas, taking in the sights at several major and regional sorting centers until it arrives. Why? It defies logic, in terms of efficiency, ecology, and economy.

And get this: according to Justin, 30% of jet fuel consumed is during take off. So, add up those extraneous miles, plus the fuel consumed each flight, and you’ve got an enormous carbon footprint here, an unnecessary one.

What to do? Enter First Global Xpress. What’s different about them? First off, they fly direct to the intended destination via the cargo space on a commercial airliner, of which they have reserved space on 95 airlines, and growing. In most cases, multiple flights a day are available to take your package. And generally speaking, your package will get there 24 hours earlier and 20% cheaper then the big boys.

Shipping that’s both more sustainable and affordable, how about that? But that’s not enough for Justin. He is of a new wave of green entrepreneurs that see a way to integrate their emerging green personal values with their business values, for the benefit of all.

Though he could easily say that his company is green, as compared to others, he wisely has chosen to forge on, examining how First Global Xpress can do even better. And even then, he prefers to refer to the company as shipping greener, not green. He knows that overseas expedited shipping will never be totally green, and even encourages clients to seek local options where possible, rather then ship. A sign of a businessman who sees the bigger picture, to be sure.

And Justin has chosen to be very transparent about the process, through the newly launched blog, shipgreener.com Shedding light on the industry, showing their experiments, the successes, the goofs, the whole thing, this is no perfect shiny self promotional wank. Knowing that people don’t want to hear about shipping all day long, he’s got plans to take you along on his NYC bicycle commute, talk to other business people venturing into the green waters, and more.

What else is in store then as far as greener international shipping at First Global Xpress? From how they package their packages to how they get them there on the ground, they will be improving and overhauling how they do what they do. (Details here) In fact, they’ve set the ambitious goal of reducing their overall carbon footprint by 66% by the end of the year. Will they do it? Who knows, but kudos to them for setting such an ambitious goal. Talking to Justin, I can tell you it’s not just hot air. Watch them do it. Better yet, make them your international shipper.

Additional reading:

Interview: Justin Brown of FGX on shipping greener

How to Green Your Mail

Greener Shipping

Eco-Effective Mail: USPS Turns to MBDC to Create Cradle-to-Cradle Packages

Not a chance you could pull it off unless you’re renegade architect Michael Reynolds, Garbarge Warrior.”

Apparently, for 30 years New Mexico-based Reynolds and his green disciples have “devoted their time to advancing the art of “Earthship Biotecture” by building self-sufficient, off-the-grid communities where design and function converge in eco-harmony.”

No surprise that “these experimental structures that defy state standards create conflict between Reynolds and the authorities, who are backed by big business.”

Set on taking action on near Neanderthal zoning legislation, Reynolds lobbies for the right to create a sustainable living test site.

In a cruel and ironic twist, Mother Nature leaves no room for wishy-washy politicians as she devastates communities by tsunamis and hurricanes.

Shot over three years and in four countries, Garbage Warrior is a timely portrait of a determined visionary, eco-entrepreneur and a hero of the 21st century.

See also:

sustainablog: Sundance Channel Launches Season Two of “The Green” with “Garbage Warrior”

Green Building Elements: Turn a Candle into a Radiator

Green Building Elements: Buy Locally, Build Locally

The first option that may come to mind is the well advertised Green Dimes service. It does indeed seem to do a great job at reducing mailings, up to 90% in three months, and they plant 10 trees for you while they’re at it. I do have a qualm with tree planting however, as it’s recently been shown that this popular eco guilt reliever has also resulted in the displacement of people in places like Uganda that tree planting companies want to make use of for this now increasingly lucrative business. But I digress…

Green Dimes would seem a fine option, but for one thing - there’s a better one out there. One that costs nothing (vs $20) and goes further to take you off telemarketer lists as well. Who? ProQuo. And how is it that they’re free? They offer a service that you can choose to opt in for catalogs you’d actually like to receive (what a concept!) for which they make a profit from the catalog companies. And they only make these offers if you request they be made. Shocking, I know.

But does this mean they share your private information with third parties in general? In a refreshingly non-qualified statement, they say, “ProQuo will never sell, trade, transfer or otherwise share your information with third parties without your express consent — ever.” I’ll be interested to see how well this business model works. But for now, consumers have a simple, free option to do about that daily annoyance that arrives unbidden in their homes each week.

While you’re waiting for your junk mail to reduce, have you made any creative reuse of it? What other ways have you found to effectively minimize paper use, and mail receiving in your home or business? An interesting option you could combine with this to not even receive mail at all is Earth Class Mail.

On 12/12, Recycline’s founder and president, Eric Hudson, went to New York City to accept the $100,000 prize from Forbes.com and Hewlett-Packard. While it was many months of pulling out all the stops, the contest was quite enjoyable for us, largely because so many folks rallied for us with votes and encouragement. We are very thankful for all the support we received from everyone who voted and asked their friends to vote. The grand prize will help us take on more environmental initiatives and introduce Preserve products to more and more people across the U.S.

This year, Forbes started accepting submissions for the $100,000 prize on April 2^nd . Open to all entrepreneurs, with the high visibility of green business, eco entrepreneurs have an excellent chance of winning again.

“The second annual ‘Boost Your Business’ contest continues our tradition of celebrating small businesses and helping them grow,” said Brett Nelson, Forbes.com Entrepreneurs Editor. “Forbes.com is thrilled to offer entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase their businesses and sell their ideas to a discerning audience of readers and investors.”

In the first round of the contest entrepreneurs submit a 500 word description of their business including a description of the business model and their plan for using the prize money to grow their business. Twenty semi finalists will make it to the second round and 5 finalists will present their detailed business plan to a panel of judges.

Initial entries must be received by May 31^st and the contest ends in November. The grand prize winner will be honored at an awards ceremony in December.

Ranging from low initial investment services like housecleaning to highly regulated child care more and more consumers are seeking eco-friendly alternatives. Regulators, especially in green states like California, are aiding this trend, by introducing legislation that prohibits the use of toxic chemicals.

Should we expect more cleaners to be going green soon? It seems inevitable: California has mandated a phase-out of the toxic cleaning chemical used by dry cleaning services called PERC, of perchloroethylene, by 2023. Environmental regulations put in place in 2002 in Southern California allow cleaners to use, but not install, PERC machines. There’s still quite a bit of progress to make, though.

Over 85% of America’s 33,000 or so dry cleaners use PERC, which the EPA classifies as a neurotoxin and is a petroleum-based product that contributes to global warming.

Dry Cleaning isn’t the only business that has relied on chemicals now considered more dangerous than previously thought. San Francisco entrepreneurs, Todd Gean and Jason Yeafoli recently launched the, immediately successful, non-toxic house cleaning business called Maid Green.

The entrepreneur’s team of well-trained eco-friendly cleaner’s scrub polish and brighten San Francisco homes using only non-toxic, natural, environmentally friendly products paired with equal parts elbow grease and common sense.

Environmentally friendly services are popping up all over the country driven by an increased interest in avoiding toxic chemicals, many of them available as franchises. Some opportunities that eco entrepreneurs may want to consider are:

1.Dry Cleaning

2.House Cleaning

3.Lawn Care

4.Childcare

5.Carwash

6.Window wash

7.Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning

8.Catering

9.Pet care

10.Pest control

In every area of their lives consumers now are looking for greener alternatives. Savvy entrepreneurs can capitalize on this growing interest and start a business that provides healthier services for customers, a healthier working environment and a healthier planet.

It all started with the PlayPump, the water system that is a children’s merry-go-round attached to a water pump and storage tank that featured on Ecoworldly a while ago.

A see-saw that generates electricity when played on by children? Now there is this simple looking see-saw which when played on by children in Africa, generates electricity to help power up their school. It has no name yet but if this trend continues, it looks like Africa will be one very big playground for green play, literally.

You wanna play, somebody?

Daniel Sheridan, 23, a final year student of Consumer Product Design at Coventry University in the UK came from his volunteering stint in Kenya where he saw the suffering of poor students having to study under the moonlight or tiny kerosene lamps with a better lighted idea.

My thinking is that when he volunteered as a teacher, he probably saw the energy of these African children at play as something that could be put into good use, lighting up their schools easily and without any damage to the environment.

Sheridan recognizes that the current need for electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa is staggering. Without power, development is extremely difficult. The potential market for this product is huge and the design could be of benefit to numerous communities in Africa and beyond.

He is now thinking big: to solve the energy problems in Africa by enlisting the help of children in the playground. His innovation is yet to attain commercial viability but it won Sheridan a Coventry University undergraduate a prize for enterprise, at the college’s Enterprise Festival, an ideas competition launched in 2002 to encourage students to develop commercially viable ideas.

It is expected that this inspiring and cost effective product would be supplied as a central unit to the local community who will have a hand in building part of it and installing it. Not only does it involve local people into the creation, but it also considerably reduces logistical costs.

All this without any expectation of profit. The unique selling point of this product is that it is not intended as a profit-making design. It has genuine potential to improve the quality of life for those studying or working at the school where it is installed. Noble indeed.

Photo credit:
Tyger Lyllie via Flickr

All participants to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme ought to have submitted crucial data on their 2007 greenhouse gas emissions levels by 31 March. The greenhouse gas data would be sourced by around 10,500 companies involved in carbon trading and is an important factor influencing the market price of traded carbon.

But many of the parties failed to meet the deadline, which is why the EU authorities in charge of the information said they will release the data to the public at a later date.

Emissions data is of vital importance for market traders because it shows the level of demand for the instruments they trade. The data is seen as a benchmark number setting the appropriate carbon price.

EU rules for energy-intensive industry mandate the submission of one emissions permit for every ton of carbon dioxide emissions. The permits, called EU Allowances (EUAs) can be “offset” by trading them on the exchange. Volumes as well as the prices on the European Climate Exchange have seen a steady rise since the exchange was created in 2005. During March close to 120 million tons EUAs were traded, an average volume of futures and options of 6.3 million. This marked an increase of 61% compared to March 2007.

Reuters quotes a Deutsche Bank analyst Mark Lewis who said that he expects 2007 carbon dioxide emissions are likely between 2,180-2,220 million tons. 2007 levels were between 2,100-2,140 million tons. Lewis added that his prognosis was made assuming unchanged economic demand, weather and commodity prices.

This is good news for carbon traders, because the 2008 permit supply stands at 2,083 million tons, so there’s a shortage of supply. That should drive up EUA prices in the second phase of the carbon trading scheme. Lewis said the price is likely to go up to 35 euros per ton during 2008-12 (the second phase).

This is a drastic turnaround from the first phase of the carbon market (2005-2007), which saw an oversupply of permits, causing a carbon price to fall. Last Friday, benchmark EUA contracts for 2008 delivery were trading down 14 cents at 22.12 euros ($34.87).

The 27 national governments which together make up the European Union enter the permissions data in a central Community Independent Transaction Log (CITL), which is a real time tool accessible to the public. It lists all the individual participants by name, company name, phone number and email address.

The authorities in charge of CITL reported that not enough data had been submitted for them to release it. At least 80% of the data entered for the 2006 emissions needs to have been reported before the numbers will be released. This is so the markets don’t trade on false information.

CITL announced that it won’t “give public access to installation-level verified emissions data today [April 1].” Instead, the data will be released as soon as enough submissions have been registered to make the 80% grade.

The UK has independently published estimates of 2007 greenhouse gas emissions levels. Government officials put out provisional figures indicating UK emission levels reached 639.4 million tons. This was 2 percent lower than the 2006 figure of 652.3 million tons.

The FSA says that the integrity of the carbon trading market is under threat. The information that carbon emissions traders relay to clients often has a truth content that’s lower than you’d expect. In many cases there’s also no clarity over the regulations involved, a lack of credible data. Investors are also frequently offered climate change related products that are totally unsuitable for their goals.

What’s more, some authorised firms brand themselves as “carbon neutral.” “This marketing must be credible, sustained and accurate to avoid jeopardising the firms’ and the market’s reputation,” the FSA stresses. Although the watchdog is not mandated to directly regulate the carbon trading market, the report indicated that “the emissions markets justifiably demand the FSA’s continued attention. […] This type of behaviour undermines confidence in the market.”

The FSA warns that the mismanagement on the carbon emissions trading market could pose a risk to other commodities markets. For an extensive official UK government guide on individual carbon trading rules, click here.

The main criticism centers on what’s left out of the equation. Companies embarking on greening up their business practices are faced with a daunting task and most go about it the “easy way” at first. There’s the option to simply offset carbons on the Chicago Climate Exchange, the European Climate Exchange or on the newly established NYMEX venture, the Green Exchange. Businesses have access to these exchanges if they wish to reduce their overall greenhouse gas emissions by as little as 1%.

Another easy start is to go green at corporate level. Carbon calculator designers themselves say that they’ve calibrated the tools to deliberately not include the most thorny issues. That is so that they do not scare off company bosses. “Instead it’s to raise awareness about the scale of the impact or quickly produce figures for a carbon offset,” according to a report on ClimateChangeCorp.com.

That is not to say that the real deal for people wanting to progress on from that level doesn’t exist. Once companies have developed the right mindset, having learned that relatively simple energy reduction tricks can create cost savings of 20% which in many cases equals increased sales of around 5%, they’re likely to want more. And the good news is that there’s a plethora of very detailed guidelines on offset standards. Companies seriously wanting to make a real difference only have to find them.

Last year alone, some 20 tools were released, most free of charge. To create order in this chaos, the WWF has published a 105-page guide to and comparison of the ten standards most widely in use by companies voluntarily offsetting carbons. The document is entitled “Making Sense of the Voluntary Carbon Market: A Comparison of Carbon Offset Standards” Ecosystemmarketplace.com recommends the guide wholeheartedly, saying it’s “a good primer for beginners and an adequate refresher for veterans.” EcoSystemMarketplace’s own beginners’guide is aimed at getting a quick insight into the core issues.

The better calculators are based on the publicly available guidelines such as the definitions in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (drawn up by the World Resources Institute). The UK´s Carbon Trust calculator is based on these guidelines and also takes into account the UK’s environmental regulator Defra’s new Environmental Reporting Guidelines, the UK Emissions Trading Scheme and Climate Change Levy agreements. The Carbon Trust offers four in depth calculators: an accurate co2 measuring tool, an “environmental reporting” tool, a tool to account for weather factors and a highly detailed energy calculator. ClimateChange.corp criticizes the effort saying that the Carbon Trust’s tools leave out emissions generated by a company’s supply chain.

The Carbon Trust targets large and small companies. The small companies have free access to a carbon baseline tool for businesses without process emissions. Carbon Trust also offers cheap loans for small companies investing in eco-friendly operation procedures.

Companies can also devise programs with outside help. The effort will pay off because once you’ve got a program installed, the thing will virtually run itself. Companies that include “environmental reporting” in their daily operations that set new benchmarks in the industry include Air France KLM. The airline sought assistance from Enablon, a Netherlands based carbon software design company which works with large companies. Another example of an outside consultancy is the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management which has carried out assignments for companies ranging from General Electric, BP and TetraPak UK, which offsets carbons by investing in Ugandan tree projects.