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.

Since I’m trying to start a graphic design studio, I started by searching for a green certification agency that specialized in creative services. It seems that many of the certifiers lack standards for service-based businesses, as most focus on products. The only design specific green “certification” that I found was the Design Can Change Pledge, a voluntary pledge for designers who commit to move towards sustainable practices. The site includes many ideas for going green as well as a great introduction to what sustainability in graphic design means, but doesn’t offer certification for green design businesses. As of yet, there’s no LEED for the graphic design industry.

I broadened my search and found several options for green business certification. Many of the certifiers listed focus more on products or specific industries, but as green business certification gains momentum, I’m sure that their focus will be broadened. In addition to certifying businesses, many also offer directories for consumers wanting to shop green and other opportunities to promote member businesses to consumers. Here’s a run down of several certification options for green businesses:

• Green Seal is an independent non-profit offering certification for green businesses according to scientifically tested standards that they have created for different industries. Currently their standards are limited to several product categories, but more are in development.
• Co-op America is a non-profit membership organization that offers a Green Business Seal of Approval for green businesses and a green business directory for consumers. They certify businesses from any industry that complete a screening process to determine their commitment to social and environmental responsibility.
• Bay Area Green Business Program is a partnership of local government agencies and utilities that recognize green businesses in San Francisco and nine surrounding counties. They consult with a wide variety of businesses to help them go green by following environmental regulations, meeting organization’s standards, and committing to conservation and green business practices.
• MBDC Cradle to Cradle Certification certifies products on varying levels of sustainability and environmentally intelligent “cradle to cradle” design. Certification is limited to products based on the tenets outlined in the book Cradle to Cradle.
• National Environmental Performance Track is a member program offered by the US EPA. It is a private-public partnership recognizing facilities with environmental management systems and continuous improvement in sustainability. It is geared mainly towards the manufacturing industry.
• Green Business Alliance helps businesses integrate environmental stewardship into their everyday business practices. Businesses recognized in their program “greenify” their operations according to a list of guidelines. A portion of their profits from this program are donated to green causes.

Certification by any of these agencies usually involves meeting their idea of green as defined in their standards. Member businesses gain the credibility of being certified by an independent agency, and many programs offer placement in their consumer directories and other advertising opportunities. Usually certification comes with some cost, and many are geared towards specific industries and business types. So it may not be a good option for all businesses. Whether you decide to certify your business as green or not, it is always a good idea to back up your claims of being green with your own definition of what it means to be a green business, as well as a list of actions you are taking to become sustainable. Consumers are increasingly demanding accountability for green claims, so even if you don’t have certification to prove your commitment to sustainability, it’s a good idea to clearly define green standards for your business.

This article is the tenth 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, avoid commuting by working from home, build green business practices into your daily workflow, and work towards a paperless office. Stay tuned for more on starting a green business!

Green entrepreneurs of every stripe face similar business challenges.

How to write a marketing plan.

How to handle inventory.

And in a tighter money era, how to find financing.

Fortunately for green tech entrepreneurs, leaders in the field seem willing to provide assistance (as well as competition). As reported in Information Week:

Microsoft plans to work more closely with independent software developers to help them build applications that don’t draw CPU cycles unnecessarily.

Microsoft, has been on a tear this year rolling out green initiatives. From providing bus service to its headquarters from downtown Seattle to building a new processing center in Quincy, Washington, “because it was three power poles away from a hydroelectric dam,” eco considerations have been, if not front and canter at least a big part of their business planning. Cornerstone to their eco considerations is the (semi) new Vista operating system.

On the tech front, the company’s Windows Vista operating system includes energy management features that are superior to those found in the older Windows XP, according to Bernard. Among them: a feature that, after a set period, puts Vista to sleep instead of activating an energy-consuming screen saver.

All told, Microsoft introduced 35 new energy management features in Vista, according to Rob Bernard, Microsoft’s chief environmental strategist.

Microsoft’s commitment to green can mean big changes in the technology green space. As in any industry, when the big players enter or increase their presence, the game changes in both positive and negative ways.

How do you see this changing your business strategy? Do you see this as a positive or negative for your green technology business?

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

Virtualization: A Boon for Green Computing

For the average American working for a paycheck, May Day — a pagan spring ritual where you dance around a Maypole — marks yet another, less festive occasion.

From the first of January until around the first of May, all the money many of us will earn goes to pay our share of income tax to the US government.

Kiss those months — that money — goodbye (the present tax stimulus package is really just a refund).

We followed the advice of our parents, as most children do: get a good education, go to college and get a job — a nice, secure, well-paying one, with great fringe benefits, stock options or profit-sharing. But the bimonthly paychecks — after the government gets its share for income, Social Security and Medicare taxes — aren’t enough to keep up with the bills. Even with raises and promotions, many of us feel that we keep getting further in the hole, since the more we earn in earned income, the more it’s taxed. The reality is that the system is largely devised this way, not to tax the very rich but to exact a fee on the middle class and poor to keep these wage earners on the treadmaster of a job — or “promising career.”

When you’re earning wages, you’re making money for someone else or, often, something else called a corporation and its shareholders. For your job, you get a paycheck, from which income taxes are withheld to pay for an ever-expanding governmental bureaucracy of the size that even the Romans or Greeks would envy, according to William Bonner and Addison Wiggin in their exhaustive and provocative book, Empire of Debt: The Rise of an Epic Financial Crisis.

Besides buying a new car to commute to your job, usually purchased with bank financing, many people acquire a mortgage from another bank to buy a house or condo. Now you have property taxes on top of income and payroll taxes. So you’re earning wages to pay taxes to the government, interest payments to the banks that hold your car loan and house mortgage, and insurance premiums to cover yourself if anything sours.

All the while, you help make more money for the company you work for and the shareholders of the business. You’re working so you can afford to keep paying the bills to keep your house, your car and your life. Meaningful work — working passionately for something you care about — is relegated for those retirement years, increasingly elusive thanks to rising energy, food and healthcare costs. Anyone you know putting off “retiring” because their stock portfolio didn’t deliver enough returns for them to feel comfortable enough to try living off interest and dividends? Either they’re still working or had to get a job to make ends meet.

It doesn’t have to be this way, as many ecopreneurs are discovering. In our unconventional business how-to book ECOpreneuring, my wife and I write about how small business, especially a green business that operates in a way that restores nature and values human life (not exploit it), can be a one-way ticket to keep more of the money you earned while doing good for the planet. Forming your own business as a Limited Liability Company (LLC), C Corporation or S Corporation are among many options to garner the greatest return on your investment of life energy into a project and increase your savings, allowing you to do the things you want to do, not have to do. These ecopreneurs, in how they manage their green business, leverage the power of their business to make the world a better place. In so doing, they may earn less income but power their business with renewable energy, operate carbon neutral (or carbon negative), and focus on serving all the stakeholders of their business, including their local community, by operating a diversified portfolio of enterprises that fill niches.

Many ecopreneurs make a life, not earn a living. Today, I planted 30 trees in addition to caring for my son. The tree planting didn’t add much to GNP (a topic for a later blog), but it will help address climate change, help stabilize the soil on the edges of my family’s small farm, provide a future revenue stream for my son if he mindfully stewards the land. I even broke a sweat doing it, burning off a few calories to boot.

This May Day, perhaps it’s time to think about launching the green business you’ve always wanted — either a for profit or non-profit. Isn’t it time to put your life energy toward something greater than just paying off mounting and unsustainable US government debt this May Day (including the cushy retirement packages politicians seem to end up with, while we end up with little or nothing)?

This May Day, we’re celebrating: our wind turbine spinning our meter backwards; our gardens planted to provide about 7o percent of our food needs without the use of chemicals (or a tractor); our good health; and our business that provides enough revenue to support our family and a quality of life that doesn’t have to come at a cost to the Earth.

We’ll dance to that.

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.

SCA poll by Harris Interactive, conducted in the beginning of April, found that consumers were definitely willing to pay more for green products…up to almost 20% more.

Good news for green businesses. But, take a little closer look at the findings.

64% of those surveyed said they would be willing to pay more for a hybrid car

63% indicated they would spend more for organic, fair trade, or locally sourced food

62% said they would dig deeper into their wallets for green/organic cleaning supplies

57% of those surveyed said they would pay the additional costs for products made from recycled materials.

Obviously purchasing a hybrid car has less to do with being environmentally conscious and more to do with saving money. With gas prices souring, consumers are willing to try anything they can to save on gas.

The next two, though they are green initiatives, they also address health issues. Consumers are willing to pay more and cut back in other areas if their own or their family’s health is at stake.

The last point, addressing consumers’ willingness to pay extra for products made from recycled materials, may be the most vulnerable to inflationary pressures.

Since this survey looked at willingness to purchase, as well as current purchase behavior, the results may only be indicative of consumers hopes, not necessarily their behavior. The survey found that, in a representative sample of the population, close to half of all consumers would be willing to pay more for green products.

The question remains…which half?

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How To Package A Green Product

Photo Courtesy: Burning Image at Flickr under Creative Commons License

• 47 percent trust companies to tell them the truth in environmental messaging
• 45 percent believe companies are accurately communicating information about their impact on the environment
• 61 percent of Americans say they understand the environmental terms companies use in their advertising

The survey found that almost half of those surveyed believing that anything marked “green” or “environmentally friendly” was good for the environment. Not quite a quarter really understood use of the terms in any meaningful way. (Who were these guys? I’m not sure I understand!)

“The gap creates significant risk of embarrassment for companies and disillusionment for consumers,” says Mike Lawrence, executive vice president of corporate responsibility, Cone LLC. “Activists are closely monitoring green claims and can quickly share information online about the actual environmental impact of a product. The result can be accusations that a company is engaging in ‘greenwashing’ and is misleading the public.”

Fortunately for eco-entrepreneurs, consumers seem to be interested in policing the use of misleading terms. The survey found that consumers want regulation. Over 75% want certification by third party organizations and/or government regulation.

That puts large and small manufacturers and consumers on the same page. Just in time for the FTC, Eco In The Market workshop on April 30th. The results should be interesting.

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Natural Means “Nothing” – What Does Everything Else Mean?

Natural Marketing Institute, Nielsen Value LOHAS Mart At $209 bn

According to the Whole Foods Market website, Americans toss out about 100 billion plastic bags annually (we recycle a pitiful 0.6% of our plastic bags), crowding landfills with an energy-consuming product (it takes 430,000,000 gallons of crude oil to make the 100 billion bags) that lasts for at least 1,000 years. Whole Foods estimates that their action will save 100 million plastic bags in 2008, alone.

By drawing attention to their company policies that are good for the earth, Whole Foods also gets some good press. Was this part of their plan?

I could not get anyone at Whole Foods to answer this question, but I spoke to Jonathan Netzky, a green business owner, and the one of the founders of a sustainable business network, the Business Association for a Sustainable Evanston, or BASE, to which I belong. BASE is working on creating a cerification system for member businesses, a way of differentiating a business as being environmentally friendly.

Part of the certification involves pledging to ban the sale of plastic water bottles in an individual business. For the members of BASE, banning plastic water bottles not only helps the environment, it also promotes our business association and the indvidual businesses that make choices that have a positive impact on the environment.

“We are creating a certification,” Jonathan Netzky said. “Businesses can choose to participate and do something positive,” he added.

Green businesses should practice what they preach by engaging in commercial practices that do not harm the environment. “It’s irrelevant what they preach; what is important is what they do,” said Jonathan.

So if you give a discount to shoppers who walk or ride a bike to your store rather than drive, or bring in reusable containers to take home bulk food, keep up your business practice–and tell the world you are doing so, as long as it’s truly a green business practice. Jonathan Netzky points out that while Whole Foods had used branded plastic bags to market themselves in the past, they are now using the absence of plastic bags as a marketing tool.

“It’s a way of doing something postive for the world,” Jonathan said.

There is nothing wrong with green marketing, as long as it is truly green. Who knew that banning plastic bags could have so many uses?

MC is well-suited for this project, she spent 20 years in corporate marketing, working for Fortune 500 companies as well as start-ups. She’s taught marketing and public relations at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Hong Kong in China.

Here’s our interview:

milkerfinal.mp3

Visit Ecopreneurist.

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.

“There’s a consumer-driven demand for this kind of ethical consumption, but the debt markets don’t understand that,” (She says).

Making the rounds of traditional venture capital firms can be excruciating for eco-entrepreneurs. Traditional firms excited by the opportunities inherent in pursuing green ventures are often less than thrilled when social responsibility is part of the plan.

A great way to end a meeting with a traditional investor or banker is to say, “Oh, by the way, I give away 10 percent of my profits to charity.”

Fortunately there are options available for eco-entrepreneurs convinced that doing well by doing good is possible.

Traditional VCs often pressure entrepreneurs to jettison their do-gooder roots, but social investors take the opposite approach. Social investors want to make sure that their portfolio companies maintain their social missions as they grow.

A new breed of investors actively seeks out businesses with a social mission and provides lines of credit and capital to growing eco-firms. But, don’t bring your idea on a piece of paper. These investors are looking for solid business plans and proven profits as well.

Start-ups …often find themselves in no man’s land when looking for capital between $1 million and $5 million,” he said. “The capital requested is too small to attract big institutional investors.” On the other hand, it can be difficult to raise even $1 million from acquaintances or angel investors…

If your business is ready to enter the next stage you might want to consider contacting one of these well known Social Investment Firms.

Some Top Sustainable Business Investment Firms

Good Capital

Calvert Foundation

New Resource Bank

Underdog Ventures

Shared Interest

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Green Teams can help.

Green teams are not only a positive environmental force, but they also get employees excited about something that’s not directly related to their jobs–an advantage for small companies whose benefits packages can’t always compete with those of larger firms.

Steve Schwartz, founder of Payroll and HR solutions provider Paylocity, organized a team of employees specifically to focus on greening their new office. While Paylocity’s new office space features state of the art green furniture, carpets and lighting and they engage in paperless payroll, Schwartz thought they could do more.

The green team came up with some small, simple solutions that keep the company on a track toward continuous improvement in developing an eco friendly working environment. Ceramic coffee cups replaced Styrofoam and more telecommuting was analyzed as an option.

Going green is red-hot, and now businesses are going a step further by actively engaging employees in strategy sessions around the issue. An April 2007 survey by Adecco, an international HR company, found that 52 percent of employed adults felt their companies should do more to be environmentally friendly.

Continuous improvement is a goal to which many companies, large and small subscribe. That goes for greening the workplace too. With so many new options to make your workplace eco friendly, green teams can be a way to stay ahead of the curve.

What simple steps has your company taken to continue to green your working environment? How do you stay abreast of new opportunities?

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Sustainability an Essential Part of Business Planning

How to Green Your Mail

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.

As an example of the types of programs available, consider UC Davis’s Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy (GTEA), which provides a free week-long intensive for science and engineering researchers. Yes, I did say free, and it’s held at Lake Tahoe, Nevada in July—a very nice plus.

According to UC Davis Center for Entrepreneurship Assistant Director, Nicole Starsinic, the GTEA combines classroom learning with a team project, which pairs scientists with business school students and professionals. A number of venture capital firms, law firms, and other professionals, which are listed in the Academy’s schedule, devote time in the hope of discovering the cleantech Google.

Apply: If you are interested or know someone who would be a good candidate for the GTEA, please note that applications are due May 2, 2008.

Up and Coming Green Tech Companies

Two of interesting companies that are emerging from last year’s GTAE show the range or projects that are appropriate for the Academy. MIT doctoral student Jon Mapel has developed a high-efficiency, low-cost solar electrical concentrator that uses 300 times fewer solar cells than conventional methods. In the Center for Entrepreneurship’s latest newsletter (out today), Mapel says he will soon follow up with the venture capitalists and angel investors he met at GTEA last summer. Another participant who started a business with his GTEA experience is UC Davis doctoral student Peter Tittman whose company, Forest Eye, will help forestland managers meet financial and environmental goals by conducting carbon, timber and biomass inventory using an aerial laser scanning technology.

Programs for Green Entrepreneurs at Other Universities

Many universities have business plan competitions that are open to non-students. Some competitions have cash prizes, and some startups get angel or VC funding right out of these competitions.

We’d love to hear your stories if you have participated in any of university or foundation-sponsored programs or competitions for entrepreneurs.

Photo of Lake Tahoe from Wiki Commons.

Image source: http://timblair.net | Lights out for Sydney, Australia 2007

An http://greenprinteronline.com dispatch. 

Earth Hour is tonight, March 29th from 8 to 9 pm. The idea is to turn off the lights as a symbolic gesture that us citizens, business owners, uber-corporations (hello, Google’s black screen, hello McDonalds in Toronto saving 10 000 kilowatt hours) local governments and non-profit groups are taking climate change seriously.

Despite gripes that Earth Hour falls on the NCAA basketball regional, it’s lights out for over 23 major cities worldwide like Toronto and Bangkok.

Globally, landmarks like Sydney Opera House, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco’s Alcatraz prison and Chicago’s Sears Tower are also included in the event.

It’s been dubbed a WWF led “spread of soft fascism” and “a new-age, tooth-fairy delusion” by global warming skeptics (wow, they still exist?) and it has four million strong Facebook group following.

Whatever the goal behind WWF’s Earth Hour, it’s a positive message spurring many unexpected and inspiring actions like the {4 One Earth I Will} initiative in Vancouver, where local residents make a visual pledge to take action on climate change.

What’s more interesting than the beaten “soft fascism” idea is that with climate change becoming the new religion, Earth Hour has all reminisces of a vigil - a “ritual devotion observed on the eve of a holy day”.

For citizen groups, businesses, governments and your neighbors, it’s more than just sitting in the dark, it sends a message that “yes we take climate change seriously”.

So, keeping in line with the theme of buying local to reduce emissions, us Vancouverites at Green Printer want to give kudos to local businesses for flicking off, including:

1. Telus

2. BC Hydro

3. Small Energy Group - tracking the energy usage

4. Raincity Grill

5. Better Business Bureau of Vancouver Island

6. Jawl Properties Ltd.

7. Orion Homes Ltd.

8. Morguard Investments Ltd

And, it’s not just business, its entire communities too, who are taking action.

The 170 residents in the northern B.C., Canada town of Hartley Bay are taking Earth Hour’s mandate a step further and turning off their power generator for the hour. “No heat. Not lights. No nothing,” said Hartley Bay Coun. Cameron Hill, a member of the Gitga’at First Nation.

Save trees, time and money the climate friendly way with our recycled paper, sustainable printing methods and eco-calculator with Green Printer - more details at http://greenprinteronline.com. Now, wasn’t that easy?

It’s important for green businesses to be exactly that: green. This means you go the extra mile to examine the environmental consequences of every aspect of your business. That’s a lot of responsibility, so it requires careful consideration every step of the business planning process. Before you even open your doors for business, you should have a plan in place for running your business as sustainably as possible. Green businesses may even want to include a sustainable development section in their business plans.

Your sustainable development plan should start with your definition of sustainability, and what you think it means to be a green business. This definition depends on what type of business you are, what green resources are available to you, your market and industry, and your level of commitment to sustainability. If you plan to be certified green in some way (I will cover certification in an upcoming column), your definition of sustainability may be based on information provided by the certifying agency. But chances are that you will need to cater your definition to your own business. A clear definition means a clear path to sustainable success!

Once you have defined what sustainability means, you can develop a list of practices you will implement or change to bring your business operations more in line with your definition. I am starting a graphic design businesses, so my list may include things like finding and building a relationship with green printing and web hosting vendors, using energy efficient computers and printers in my office, recycling or composting any waste I generate, sending files to clients via e-mail or online instead of on paper, and so on.

It may help to break your list into different levels of commitment. You may not be able to replace equipment with more efficient models just yet, but you can work up to it, so put it on the list. Start with baby steps if you have to. You can work your way through your list as you grow so you’ll always have something to work towards.

While greener office supplies and more efficient equipment may cost more up front, in the long run, adopting sustainable business practices can save you money. Reducing waste, energy and materials used is a big part of going green, and are ways to help your bottom line as well. This is one reason why building sustainable practices into your business from the start is important. If you plan to use less, you’ll be reducing your costs. Lower costs mean lower overhead and more potential for profit. So many sustainable business practices are also smart for other reasons.

While you’re planning a new business venture, try to think about every impact your new business will have. If you will be making a product, find out where your raw materials will come from and see if you can find greener sources. Think about where you’ll buy your office supplies, project materials, furniture, and equipment (and how far they have to be shipped to get to you). Don’t forget the whole picture: what will people do with your product when they’re done using it? The entire life cycle of what you’ll be producing and selling should be considered - this is called a cradle to cradle approach. Your goal should be to identify areas where you can reduce your company’s footprint and have a positive impact on the environment.

Once you’ve defined what sustainability means to your business and come up with a plan for making your business as green as possible, it’s time to put that plan into practice. Your sustainable development plan will be your road map to a greener future and sustainable success.

Please feel free to share your ideas for green business planning and making a business more sustainable by leaving a comment!

Resources and Links in this article:

• Wikipedia’s definition of sustainability.
• How to Set Up a Sustainable Development Plan from Sustainable Business Online Resource.
• How to Find Green Vendors in The Sustainable Studio series on Business of Design Online.
• MBDC: Cradle to Cradle Design

This article is the sixth in a series called Green Dreams following my journey starting a green design business. You can read the series introduction, see some green business resources, get inspired, learn how to write a business plan, and find out how to name a business in this series. Stay tuned for more on starting a green business!

A panel held at UCLA this month, dedicated to sustainability in business, put this issue in the spotlight and revealed some useful information for companies looking to reduce their footprints. A few key points:Everyone does it differently: Companies looking to go green do so in many different ways, according to their business needs, structure, and culture. At toy giant Mattel, for example, sustainability is engrained in the company culture, so it’s something everyone thinks about. Initiatives to reduce resources used in shipping, packaging and catalogs have helped the company to lower their energy usage, carbon emissions, and water usage.

Use your company’s common language to “sell” sustainability: If you’re looking to convince others of the benefits of going green, stay away from buzzwords (like “sustainability”!) and instead focus on the language already used in your company, perhaps terms like conservation and efficiency. Back up your ideas with analysis, and don’t forget to use your people skills!

Keep an eye on trends: Smart companies, like Roll International (owner of the Fiji water brand) are working on carbon footprinting to establish a baseline of their greenhouse gas emissions. Measurable improvemets can then be reported both internally and externally, which points to another key trend - transparent reporting. By communicating openly with stakeholders about all of their successes and challenges, companies not only protect themselves from accusations of greenwashing, but also share their lessons learned with other companies. A boon for those of you following in their footsteps.

Macy’s newest campaign called “Turn Over A New Leaf,” kicking off April 20 and running through April 27, is “designed to support, educate and inspire sustainability and eco-friendly practices in everyday life,” says the retailer.

This spells opportunity for eco-entrepreneurs. While organic food and natural cleaners have gained some mainstream appeal, as awareness of the benefits of natural living grows, consumers look to use organic and green products in all aspects of their life.

So where is the biggest opportunity? I see a couple of areas in which green entrepreneurs might focus.

As the first wave of “green mommies”, the ones who bought into the idea of the natural nursery, find themselves the parents of toddlers, they’ll be looking for organic and natural clothing for their, now somewhat larger, child. While natural and organic baby clothes and accessories are if not widely available, at least somewhat easy to find, clothing for older children is not. Baby organic often turns into toddler synthetic from the shear lack of options.

The challenge of course, for eco-entrepreneurs in this category is price. While parents often shop with safety rather than price in mind for baby (especially the first), once the financial realities of parenting hit, price plays a bigger role in their shopping behavior. Besides, baby showers and doting grandparents and friends often supply the first round of goods and play a lesser role as the child ages.

Green entrepreneurs focusing on producing higher priced children’s clothing can and will be able to more easily find a market for their products, but stores like Macy’s will be actively looking for moderate priced items to offer in their stores. Manufacturers who can address that need will find opportunities abounding in the next few years.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, natural clothing for women will also be in demand. There are several opportunities here. Yoga pants and clothing styles geared to the crunchy demographic will do well. Flowing skirts and tops, ethnic clothing and casually elegant garb will be in demand. Higher prices should not be as much of an issue here right now. Consumers often will not be able to afford an entire wardrobe of organic clothing but will purchase selected pieces so separates make sense here.

Linen and cotton clothing has always been a staple of the more affluent shopper. Naturally dyed and organic products will find a larger place in their dressy wardrobes, especially in the summer months. Natural versions of classic styles should do well.

The opportunity is there for eco-entrepreneurs in fashion but, keep in mind the demographic of the natural living consumer. While the temptation may be to go high fashion and junior sizing, remember the pocketbook and body type of the typical natural living shopper!

Related posts:

The 4 Green Fashion Consumers

No Sweat Clothing 

In an email to Ecopreneurist, Donna Warner, Editor in Chief of Metropolitan Home said, “For our April special ‘green’ issue, we wanted to sort through the hype and offer readers smart ways to incorporate green design into their homes. The issue provides tips and ‘how to’ advice from eco-experts on topics such as green renovation and also celebrates products for the home that will last forever, thanks to their extraordinary quality and enduring design.”

Although I love to flip through “shelter publications” as they are called, focusing on the pictures, my favorite feature in Met Home’s green issue is a five-way discussion called “Met Eco” among green architects, designers and planners about the products and techniques they recommend.

I am always on the look out for smaller companies whose time has come (now that almost all media sources are focused on the environment and green lifestyles). Some of the companies who caught my eye include:

Bottlestone countertops made by Fireclay Tile in San Jose, California (recommended by designer Denise Shaw) are beautiful and made from over 80% post-consumer recycled mixed glass. Let’s just hope Fireclay can scale up production after the Met Home publicity.

Another company making beautiful, practical and recycled glass products is Bedrock Industries recommended by Architect Rob Harrison. I love the tiles.

Urban Planner Steven Lenard gives a plug for supporting recycling businesses and recommends the CMRA as a place to find firms that recycle construction materials.

Until reading this article, I didn’t know that homeowners can rent solar panels, but Shaw says, “…for one house I did in Venice [California], the owners, a young couple, leased solar panels from a company called Citizenre. They didn’t have enough roof space to go entirely off the grid, but they’ve gotten pretty close.”

I also learned about some interesting Web “products.”

Did you know a house or apartment could have a “walk score?” Walk Score was launched by Mike Mathieu, the former General Manager of MSN.com to help people find homes and apartments located near shops, restaurants and other conveniences. Real Estate agents can add a Walk Score “tile” to their sites to help potential buyers and renters compare the walkability of different properties.

Another interesting initiative, by the nonprofit Build It Green, should help build the market for new companies providing sustainable building materials. Executive Director Brian Gitt said that Build It Green is launching a rating label called Green Point, which should help boost the value of new and remodeled homes that incorporate a significant number of green building elements.

I recommend you check out the tips and products mentioned in this
interesting conversation about how to green your renovation and other eco-living tips, which also included architect Eric Corey Freed.