GREEN BUSINESS VIEWS

Posts Tagged ‘going green’

As everyone looks to the government to prop up “Cutting Edge” Green industries, there may be a better solution.  One of the first suggestions is to know that the newly created (or funded) Green programs are viable in a scenario that is not artificially promoted by over-hype advocates.  At the end of the cycle of Green business, these promotes must exist in a competitive market.  Solyndra was already in trouble as the Chinese had a more efficient process and a better product under way.  The blind-enthusiasm to put money into any program with Green energy behind it has cost America a half billion dollars, and undoubtedly there are some politicians with fatter wallets and dirty hands.

The fact is the Green business can be found everywhere.  I believe that a Green business may well be a very traditional business that has made a significant change in its building, operation, and its people.  It need not product a Green product to be a Green business.  A vegan does not stop eating.  They simply change their diet.  So while the vegan still consumes food, they changed their behavior.  A Green business can continue to do the business that they did before, but now they are committed to a higher standard.

We can create more Green businesses and develop more Green jobs if we realize that we don’t have to invent them from scratch.  Not, that that isn’t a good idea.  Let’s just not think of a Green business or Green jobs as tied to a Green energy product only.

Also, small and medium size business need access to capital markets and financial resources as well.  Why do the brilliant politicians throw millions at speculative Green energy businesses when the businesses which are the backbone of the country are constantly worried about new regulations, new taxes, and tight money markets?  If we want Green businesses and Green jobs, why not incentivize the millions of regular businesses to Go Green?

The start costs of Greening an existing business is already paid.  The chances of success are far greater than start ups.  The results will be more widespread.  The concepts of promoting Green has become extraneous because the best efforts go to the worst candidates.  In the spirit of “Invest in America,” we should look to the existing businesses in this country and help them get better.

Yes, we should leave room for the innovative and new project, but the business plan needs to be more than high speculation.  Green jobs come from Green businesses.  Why not put our best efforts behind the best bet for success?  No matter how many innovations that are funded, we should not forget the heart of the job-creation machine.

We should promote innovation and new Green ideas, but we must put our strength behind existing businesses that need to be Green and promoting a Green program.

Are you anxiously waiting for one of those elusive Green jobs to appear?  Isn’t everybody?  The promised Green jobs seem to be yet another on of those “word games” of congress and this administration.   We are just gullible enough to believe that all those “jobs bills” are actually jobs bills instead of a tax or pork barrel bills.  The spend-crazed congress is an embarrassment to our country and certain need an overhaul this November.  However, it is my goal to bring the right attitude to anyone who is looking for a job, or a green job.

I was impressed when I read a recent article from the Chicago Tribune that spoke of two veterans who took out a VA loan to start their Green business.

“Two Army veterans are taking to the streets of Muncie with a new business venture they hope will appeal to environmentally conscious travelers.  Cory Brown and Tyler Wright have launched Doing It Green Pedicab to ferry people home from downtown Muncie and bars near Ball State University in a pedicab, which resembles a rickshaw pulled by bicycles.”  This is an industry picking up in others areas as well, like Green Gears in Pittsburgh,

I was extremely impressed about several things in this article.  First of all, they didn’t wait for someone to “give them a job,” but had the heart and courage to make one that filled a community need.  Secondly, they wanted it to be a Green job, which I think is extraordinarily Green.  Third, I loved the inventiveness of their business.  I really hope it catches on like wildfire, and becomes a business model for others.  Wouldn’t this be great in many congested areas, other than vacation sites?

I recall writing about Illinois Governor Quinn signing a law that declassified organic waste as trash.  This allowed organic waste to go to composting areas instead of the land fills.  What a moment of lucid thought for Quinn and the Illinois lawmakers!  The second thought was, “Here is a great chance for some Green entrepreneurs to step up and create a new Green industry.  Collecting the organic waste is a profit center for those doing the work.  I believe that there is some grants or loans for this kind of business.  There may even be some tax credits that make this a even more profitable business.

Once composted, the organically rich soil is then sold to farmers as something better than chemical fertilizers.  The farmers will eventually sell their produce to the restaurants that made that organic trash.  This is that idea “full circle” that we must love as an environmentally-minded people.  Where are the bureaucrats in something like this?  Why not allocate some money for people with Green ideas instead of the money moguls that can’t run a business without bankrupting it?

Other Green careers are the ability to become a Certified Green Consultant or a Certified Sustainability Officer.  A Certified Green Consultant is an independent consultant working to assist many companies to install Green practices and eventually earn Green business certification.  A Certified Sustainability Officer is someone who works within a company to develop and implement a Green program.  h represent an upper level job opportunity, and those going into this area of business need to make themselves invaluable to business.

So, you can wait for a Green job to magically appear one day, or you can go out there and make one.  No one said that it would be easy, but you should make it a career that you will enjoy.  I read once that there were a great many millionaires made in the Great Recession, and I frankly wonder if our present economic situation isn’t a kind or reset where some are knocked out and others step up.  Why not be one of those who steps up and wins the day?

There is good news for those considering Going Green.  The fact is that the transition to Green is not just more work and more expense for you or your business.  As the Green movement grows, it also matures.  We are finding to our good surprise that there are more and more efficiencies in the Greening process.  In other words, the Greening of your home or office will result in benefits that far outweigh the cost or time it takes to install these programs.

The savings are certainly going to magnify because no one expects costs to go down.  Everything trends upward.  Energy costs will be one of those painful lessons in life that we are about to learn.  The global economy and geopolitics have rudely targeted energy (explained in the form of global warming and carbon dioxide) as the global problem of the century.  Basically, governmental intervention and global population pressure is going to drive up nearly all energy cost up by 100% to 300% in the foreseeable future.   Therefore the smart person is already looking at minimizing energy use in all forms through efficiencies rather than painful sacrifices.

Take for example, the small cost to put in a flow restrictor and aerator on the faucets.  For a little more than $1, you will reduce water use without pain.  The same is true for low flow shower heads and water displacement for toilets. Gradually change to low-moisture plants and use a soaker hose for irrigation.

Plant a tree or two in a strategically placed trees on your property.  First of all, this is very good for the planet since trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen that we all need.  Secondly, the small investment in young trees will protect your building from the sun, cool the area, and reduce your cooling bill.  Believe it or not, trees are one of the best natural solution that we can offer to help global warming.

Saving a hundred or several hundred dollars a year may not seem a big reward for the effort to Go Green, but this is not just about the money, you know?   We are on a global mission that will certainly affect us all in more than a few ways.  What if it was possible to save $25,000 to $50,000 per year in your company by adopting some other Green ideas that work wonderfully well?   It is no joke!  We have found a number of Green innovations that cost a few dollars and a few days to install, but pay back dividends immediately at the rate of hundreds and thousands of dollars per month, and that makes Going Green a surprising advantage that few have considered.

Where do you find these ideas?  You could probably spend time researching and experimenting to discover what a Certified Green Consultant already knows, or you might consider the simple task of hiring a Certified Green Consultant who acts as an outsourced environmental officer for your company.  He or she knows that solution and will work with you or your company to make it more Green efficient and to accumulate points toward your Green business certification.  The savings realized are not just calculated over 10 or 15 years, but the results I refer to are realized in the first and second year.  In tough economic times, have you considered that Going Green could actually make your company more profitable plus provide a great marketing concept for your business.