Today the Center for Small Business and the Environment (CSBE) launched a new initiative aimed at the 111th Congress and the Obama Administration, reminding them that the best way to revive the ailing U.S. economy is to think green – green entrepreneurism that is.
Surprisingly a new Deloitte report, finds that fewer than one third of British entrepreneurs are taking steps to go green. I know our readers aren’t among them, but many of the same issues face all entrepreneurs.
The survey of British entrepreneurs finds that less than a third (29%) are currently undertaking any carbon reduction initiatives - despite more than a quarter of those surveyed conceding that addressing environmental challenges now will present new opportunities to exploit new products and services.
The problem?
Many entrepreneurs see pursuing sustainability programs as cost prohibitive. While recycling and energy efficiency are green initiatives entrepreneurs are willing to take on, the larger environmental initiatives including reducing emissions and conserving water are considered too complex.
The report also mentions that few entrepreneurs impose green requirements on suppliers or seek out eco friendly vendors. This is perhaps understandable if social responsibility and/or eco friendliness is not part of the company’s mission statement.
But, with consumer demand for green products increasing and customers actively seeking out eco friendly companies from which to buy, is this a mistake? I think so.
Awhile back I wrote a post about The Forbes Boost Your Business contest open to all entrepreneurs and offering $100,000 in prize money and, of course, lots of publicity. Last year the winner was Recycline, Inc, a manufacturer of eco friendly toothbrushes, razors and the like.
This year I predicted, with the high level of interest in green goods, ecopreneurs again had a great opportunity to take the prize. Even so I was a bit surprised to receive this e-mail from Tony Kvale at Kvalegames.
…our eco-friendly board game company’s (has advanced) in the annual Forbes contest to help young companies.
Check out this video from Harvard Business.
John Elkington, Founder and Chief Entrepreneur, SustainAbility, on how social entrepreneurs are generating impressive results - and capturing the imaginations of businesspeople and public policy makers.
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It is perhaps a sign of the times that a TV show getting some press in entrepreneurial circles , features in its first episode, a green entrepreneur. “Start-up Junkies” shown on MOJO HD TV, a much talked about subsidiary of iN DEMAND Networks, is part of the network’s, MOJO Money Night. Targeting that 25-35 male audience beloved by high end goods manufacturers, MOJO is gambling on recent buyers of HD sets (often that same demographic) to tune in on Thursday nights to catch money makers in action. If you don’t have an HD set, you can watch the show online, here.
Ron Wiener, CEO of EarthClass mail which I wrote about here is the green entrepreneur featured. And while some may, and one commenter did, say that this company is greenwashing its business, many will see this as a step forward for green entrepreneurs.
First a disclaimer, this post is targeted toward entrepreneurs and employees of companies in Northern California–specifically people working in Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, or Santa Cruz Counties. The nonprofit organization Acterra is soliciting applications for its annual Business Environmental awards, which are open to businesses, government organizations, and in certain cases, nonprofit organizations.
If you know of similar awards for organizations outside of the San Francisco Bay Area, please let us know by commenting below.
Looking at past winners of the Acterra Business Environmental Award, it is clear that a wide range of organizations can win for a variety of projects.
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