Get Eco Now

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If you are starting up a small business now, make it green from the get-go.  It will the norm in a few years, so why not start now?  By starting out green, you will have a head start on existing companies who have to start from the beginning.  Being green will become second nature to you and your future employees.  Become compliant with environmental regulations and get your business off to a good start.


Being compliant with environmental regulations will keep your business from getting fined by the government.  Your business needs to comply with the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Pollution Prevention Act and Toxic Substances Control Act, just to name a few.

The Clean Air Act regulates more than 380 pollutants.  Your company may not have to be too concerned with getting a permit if it does not have emissions. Having clean air is not only good for the environment but also for human health.

The Clean Water Act regulates waste water and storm water.  If your business empties waste water into a municipal sewer system then you do not have to get a permit.  But if your business dumps in to any surface water then you must get a permit to do so.

The Safe Drinking Water Act protects our drinking water from certain contaminates.  Improperly disposed of chemicals can contaminate our sources of drinking water.  Our drinking water can not be taken for granted.

The Pollution Prevention Act protects our water, air and land.  Recycling is under this Act.  Every business creates waste.  Most waste can be recycled.  Preventing waste can save your business money.

The Toxic Substances Control Act in one respect controls imports of toxins.  It covers production and distribution of commercial and industrial chemicals.  This Act is suppose to keep pollutants from getting to the environment.  This is a big challenge.  The other Acts help support this Act.

Other Acts are to help in the cleaning up and disposing of environmentally damaging spills.  They also are there to help incase of an environmental emergency.  Each state has their own laws and Acts to compliment the Federal Government.

Your business may not have to be too concerned about getting permits.  Do your research before opening the doors.  Doing this will avoid fines and prevent future headaches for you.  Having your small business becoming green will help our generation and those to follow.

This podcast talks about going green with your office lighting.  We speak to Susan Bloom of Phillips Lighting about saving money with eco-friendly light fixtures and light bulbs - more specifically compact fluorescent bulbs.

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Scouring the web today, looking for some good info to share on Twitter (follow us at www.twitter.com/geteconow) and I found these. A great cross section, but really all about what we support here, isn’t it?

Enjoy.. Our second podcast will also be posted this weekend.

Offshore wind project feels economic squeeze - Venture off Belgium seeks financial support from European Union

Prez-Elect Obama Sends a Message: On Environment, Change - If there was any question whether President-elect Barack Obama means to bring change to the way the White House handles the environment, he has answered. Nobel laureate Steven Chu is apparently Obama’s choice to head the Department of Energy as the prez-elect puts together his energy and environment team.

Green building starts up five-fold - The value of green building construction starts was up five-fold from 2005 to 2008. According to the Green Outlook 2009 Trends Driving Change report, starts were up from $10 billion in 2005 to $36 to $49 billion this year and could triple by 2013, reaching $96 to $140 billion.

The Green Jobs You’ve Been Hearing About - Duke University just released a study that starts to answer that question. It looks at five industries, including LED lighting and concentrating solar power. For each, researchers asked what the value chain is and how jobs could be created.

A Green Jobs Revolution - Scanning the number of web searches using the keyword term ‘green jobs’ reveals a major jump in the year 2008. By reviewing the graph below one can see a leap in search queries for ‘green jobs’ from the end of 2007 to the start of 2008 - unscientific perhaps, but it does illustrate the point that people who are looking for a new career are adapting to the times and are searching a job market that barely existed a few short years ago.

Holiday How-To, Green Edition - The holidays can be a tricky time of year to navigate while staying green and not going over-budget.

Enjoy GetEcoNow’s introductory podcast. Meet the founder and learn more about GetEcoNow.com - Earth changing opportunities to green your small business.

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Would you turn off the light just because Jenny did it? Apparently so, according to a YouGov poll.

A third of employees have been forced by their peers to go green in the office. However, almost half (42 per cent) supported environmental inititatives in the work place because of their own environmetnal beliefs.

Capgemini, which sponsored the study, said it provides valuable guiadance to businesses keen to incentivise staff to reduce energy bills by highlighting how important a factor peer pressure can be.

Wasteful behaviour in office environments increases energy consumption by 20 per cent and costs UK firms over £157m each year and set to climb with increasing energy prices.

Almost one in five (18 per cent) of respondents saw ignorance of environmental issues as a real barrier in green initiatives being implemented in the workplace, according to the survey.

A variety of factors were identified as potential drivers of green behaviours in the workplace. Personal success came closely behind personal beliefs and peer pressure with 16 per cent seeing career benefits from being seen to be green, while 17 per cent expect direct financial rewards.

James Robey, head of corporate sustainability, Capgemini UK said:

“Achieving the necessary change in business culture requires employee engagement and co-operation. From our experience, engaging employees and offering them simple, effective ways of changing their behaviours appears to deliver the most significant level of engagement. This can only be accomplished through strong leadership from the top combined with simple effective systems at the front line.”

Across the nation the West Midlands seems to have the lowest inclination to engage in environmentally friendly initiatives, with 34 per cent versus more than 52 per cent in London.

Much of today’s “going green” as a business has been ushered in by the big corporate players. Make no mistake, while many have talked about environmental policies needed, and government agencies send out reports on the needs of green activity, it’s been the Walmarts, the Starbucks, the McDonald’s, the Microsofts, the Exxon and Chevrons, and the Suburu infrastructures most often accused of environmental degradation that, in fact, have really brought “Green” to fruition in real time.

While much of the environmental movement has been at the forefront of creating green ideas and new methodologies, it’s been the big corporations that have implemented them in the mainstream, now finding value in efficiencies and savings that have materialized with being green.

Additionally, big business seems to be competing with itself in the race to go green. Companies like Dell, HP, Coca-Cola, Xerox and Google have their hands deep in new green projects, pushing employees and units to think out of the box further than before. Green has filtered through Corporate America from changing the obvious truck fleets to hybrid vehicles to the more sublime of making sure employee cans and bottles get recycled than trash-bagged to a landfill. In short, big business has made the environment synonymous with its bottom line.

In the previous decade, worrying about the environment in the boardroom was still a Berkeley-hippy idea or something that you heard of in Europe under more socialistic government platforms (i.e. Germany). But today, green is big business, and everyone is on the bandwagon now that the Fortune 500 have made it their new sales slogan (remember how popular the Fat-Free or Organic slogans were in product placement a few years ago?).

This raises a critical question for business, especially smaller ones who thrive or fall on the success of their communities. Is this all just another consumer fad or is “going green” a viable, new and most importantly a sustainable market to go after?

Let’s look at the statistics and facts. The biggest customer for green right now is the government. State and federal departments across the country are beginning to roll out demands to push the policy of cleaner environment utilization and protection. Green business has existed prior, but government is now moving millions of tax dollars towards this new direction. That alone creates significant, new possibilities for business and contractors serving government to get in on the action. In 2007, the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Small Business Innovation Research program announced the award of nearly $3 million to 13 companies to support their work in seven key environmental areas. Further funding was scheduled for production of new prototypes pending the performance of these companies’ designs.

In sales, the idea of going green is producing real dollars. According to a report by the business research firm Organic Monitor, sales of natural beauty products amounted to $7 billion worldwide in 2007. That number is expected to climb to $10 billion by 2010.

Regarding sustainability, the market is large and growing—the Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) marketplace is now a $209 billion space. It represents green building designs, renewable energy, socially responsible investing, alternative transportation, healthcare, natural, organics; nutritional products, dietary supplements, home and office products, tourism, and travel.

Eight specific industries have the strongest potential for dependable revenue streams over the next ten years. These include solar power, slated to grow from $13.6 billion in 2006 to $69.3 billion by 2016. Additionally, bio-fuel (plant matter developed into a petroleum alternative), will expand from $20.5 billion in 2006 to $80.9 billion in 2016. Clean technology is on the verge of a breakout as well. Business advisory firm LECG sees ethanol adding over 203,800 jobs in the U.S. and boosting an estimated $46 billion to the economy by 2015. Those same biodiesel makers will hire 39,000 jobs by 2015 as well. A third sector, wind-power, will hire over 12,500 new jobs and generate $100 million to $200 million to the U.S. economy as well in the same time period.

So there is no question that the market of going green is expected to produce dependable revenue streams. The real query for most business now is how to get in on the action close to the ground floor while the market is still taking off. Given the above predictions, business can comfortably depend on repeat and growing green business for at least the next ten years, and given population growth demands, the need to stretch and reuse resources will definitely continue for long time.

The definition of the word, bootstrapping, can be found at various sites like dictionary.com. In short, it means to be self-generating or self-sustaining or to rely entirely on one’s own efforts and resources.

That theme sums up many small businesses when they are started from scratch. Especially today, a small business is not likely to just be handed a line of credit from the local bank, much less a SBA loan from the government.  More often than not, many small business veterans will tell you that they only started to see lending opportunities being offered to them when they no longer needed the financial assistance to survive.


For the rest of the small business world, things are much tougher. In many cases, every dollar and penny is needed to respond to that big break with increased production or just get through the month to break even and pay the bills. As a result, the idea of “Going Green” tends to be met with some hesitation and, in some cases, snorts of derision. “What’s it going to cost me?” or “I don’t have money to throw around on a bunch of hippy ideas!” tend to come to mind almost immediately among the bean-crunching weary business owners.

Being a green business doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, done right, a green business can and should be seen as a way to run a business more efficiently and produce more operational savings. That means bigger profit margins and a better bottom line. (Ah, now I have your interest!)

The first and easiest green method is to go digital and leverage technology as much as possible. That means: 

• Scanning correspondence and documents, 
• Delivering and transacting communication via email and computer file rather than hardcopy paper,
• Using electronic display and presentation rather than paper and board, and
• Filing records as electronic backup rather than large shelves of files and folders.

The benefits are almost immediate. The business will have cost savings on buying paper, reduced copy and printing toner costs, document and folder storage, reduced office furniture needs (shelving and cabinets), and a higher prevention of information loss since electronic databases are far easier to backup than a room full of client folders. Think I’m kidding? Add it up yourself:

• A box of copier/print paper (10 reams), $49
• Basic, two shelf file cabinet for personal desk, $35 to $60 each
• Toner for a midrange office laser printer, $150 to $300 each
• Copier toner, $75 to $100 each
• Storage space for files, $75 a month in a U-store location for archives or per sq foot in office space consumed by storage needs
• Office supplies to write down notes, envelopes, memos, messages, desk materials etc., means dozens of countless dollars spent.

Each month, these seemingly small expenses add up to your business operating expenses, and eat into your profits without producing any new revenues of their own. They are sunk costs just for the sake of having an information record on a piece of paper. Now I agree, not every document can be converted to digital. Contracts, licenses, and special-purpose documents should be kept and saved hardcopy. But if limited to just these kinds of paper, you can keep most of them in one desk drawer for the entire business.

Another easy way for the penny-watching business to find savings going green is to bring in revenue from recycling.  How many times do employees drink a beverage in the office? How about yourself? Where do all those cans and plastic bottles go? Right into the garbage. If however, you recycled those containers regularly, recycling reimbursement can give you as much as $10 to $15 a month per person’s consumption. And it’s easy to do; simply get a free recycle box from a local government or state conservation department and your employees do the rest, chucking the can in the box. Then you just bag it up and take it to a recycle center. It doesn’t seem like much but add that up to a year and now you have $120 to $180 per person. Would you throw away $180 in currency per person in your office trash?

A third and big cost-saver is to go digital with meetings. With today’s technology many small businesses can set up meetings and video-conferencing via the web. Although you may pay more for a high-speed internet account to access such opportunities, your savings from airline and car rental travel and more than outweigh such equipment costs (the average in-state flight is $110 and cross-country is as much as $700; car rentals are $35 a day for a small compact – most folks rent larger vehicles). Not only have you saved money in your pocket, but you produced far less waste and carbon consumption than using traditional person-to-person meetings. You have to be the decider of when a physical meeting is critical to your business, but many daily or frequent meetings for maintenance and updates don’t have to be big productions. And travel is a big bite out of a small business’ pocket.

There are many more methods that take more production, but being green in a bootstrap small business is not impossible. You simply need to rethink how you do business. This is central to your profit line, make your business dollars spent earn more and do the earth good at the same time.

Here are some other recommendations:

Basecamp takes a fresh, novel approach to project collaboration. Projects mostly fail from a lack of clear communication. Basecamp solves this problem by providing tools tailored to improve the communication between people working together on a project.  In a recent random customer satisfaction survey, 94% of Basecamp customers surveyed said they would recommend Basecamp to their friends, family, and colleagues.  Since the vast majority of business comes from word-of-mouth referrals we work hard to make sure our customers are well taken care of.

GoFaxer is your cost-effective and resourceful solution to age-old, toner and paper consuming fax machines. GoFaxer allows you to send, receive and organize your paperwork electronically.  Fax anytime, Fax anywhere, Fax on the go!

(source: CNN.com Small Business Resource Center)
(author: Martha Visser)

“As a business owner, I feel good coming to work every day,” says Sara Kubersky, 32. She and her sister, Erica, 27, co-own Mooshoes on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Started in 2001, the company sells shoes and accessories that she refers to as “vegan.” But their office is also entirely green. Kubersky says this fosters a sense of solidarity and loyalty in her staff. “They actually care,” she notes.

It must be working. Generating more than $1 million in sales a year, the company has twice had to move to larger offices. She points out that this growth is due, in part, to the loyal customer base built and retained by the company’s green approach. “We could tell that other companies are getting in on the trend,” she says.

Here are some tips to help your business go green.

Get smart about recycling.

Look at what your company consumes and find ways to recycle, reduce and reuse.

Recycle paper and introduce less-toxic supplies and materials. Companies such as Green Earth Office Supply sell recycled-paper products to businesses. Another good source is The Green Office, an online retailer of recycled, environmentally friendly, and sustainable business products, school supplies, and paper.

Refill computer ink cartridges rather than add them to the landfill. The same goes for obsolete computers. There are companies, such as Petaluma, Calif.-based Ecohaul, that will, for a fee, remove, refurbish and, short of that, properly dispose of old office equipment and supplies.

And it can be a heartwarming win-win to donate something no longer relevant to your business to a worthy school or nonprofit. Be sure to check out any applicable tax credits.

Review your energy use.

If you’re ambitious and building a new commercial space or remodeling an old one, it may pay to install solar panels. The Califon, N.J.-based Public-Private Partnership for Advancing Housing Technology recently renovated a 19th-century Victorian mansion, maintaining the historic integrity of the building while refitting it with solar panels that provide heat and hot water. Now a bed and breakfast called The Raritan Inn at Middle Valley, it is entirely self-sustaining, needing no outside electricity or heating.

Joe Wiegan, a senior research engineer from the National Association of Home Builders research center says the inn is making news for its energy approach. And the inn can also take advantage of New Jersey’s clean energy program, which offers up to a 70 percent tax rebate. “New Jersey has a very extensive incentive in place for photovoltaic energy,” he points out. Many other states have similar programs.

Think outside the gas tank.

Transportation can have a huge impact on the bottom line for businesses large and small. If you need a company car, consider going hybrid. As consumers continue to embrace automotive alternatives, more models are entering the market and incentives continue. In fact, the IRS just announced the 2007 hybrid Saturn Aura was recently certified for an alternative motor vehicle credit. There’s plenty of information on the latest in alternative transportation at car-centric websites such as Edmunds.com and carmax.com.

Do your research.

Co-op America, a green advocacy organization and eco-driven online catalog, has earned a Business Seal of Approval award for its product assortment as well as offering an inspiring assortment of hints and tips on how to go green. And there are strong resources outside of the United States, such as Friends of the Earth Scotland, an organization that offers a useful online audit to assist in the greening of your office.

And, for the ultimate inspiration, check out the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth, an online collection of global shots dating from the Mercury missions in the late ’60s.

Trend watching has emerged in big business as a discipline of business management and a popular topic among top media publications and futurists. Small business can benefit from trend watching, too.

In the article “Hottest Small Business Trends”, Green Power is listed as one of four hot business trends in today’s small business environment.  As our front page intro indicates - as consumers become more aware of their carbon footprint on the environment, they will seek eco-friendly businesses.  A determining factor in a decision to use the services or products of a particular company may come down to asking if it’s an eco-friendly company.  Companies taking steps to turn green will be a step ahead of those resisting the changes.   Below is the excerpt from the article from About.com by Darrell Zahorsky.

Green Power: The environment trend has been around and been a struggle for many companies, such as automakers with electric cars trying to capitalize on the green awareness. The care of Mother Earth is still a big concern of society. According to a recent Harris Poll, over 74% of American adults believe in the global warming theory. Over 73% of U.S. citizens approve of the Kyoto agreement for countries to limit their carbon monoxide and greenhouse gas emissions. Although, the United States has not signed the accord, countries like Canada, that have accepted, the accord will be a watch place for the impact.

Opportunities: This trend will be supported by businesses reducing reliance on oil & gas with new forms of energy like wind power. Wind power experienced a 1.7 billion dollar increase in new equipment during 2001 (American Wind Energy Association). Also, look to companies helping companies reduce energy consumption with new forms of energy saving products. For example, one small business is profiting from installing energy efficient shipping doors for corporate shipping operations.

(source: About.com, Hottest Small Business Trends)

Reduce Waste - Reuse These Items!

• Coffee or soup cans–Make into flower pots, pen/pencil holders, etc.
• Glass or plastic jars–Store leftover food, buttons, nails, thumbtacks, etc.
• Used wood–Make into birdhouses, compost bins, etc.
• Motor oil cans & pesticide containers CANNOT be reused and should be disposed of properly.
• Colored paper & egg cartons–Use for arts and crafts projects
• Tuna cans–Reuse as muffin tins or candle molds
• Packing “peanuts” & bubble wrap–Reuse to ship packages
• Paper & plastic Bags–Use to clean up around the house or reuse at grocery store
• Paper and envelopes–Use to write notes or make lists before recycling
• Gift boxes–Use again. Also, reuse larger pieces of wrapping paper, bows, etc.

Conserving Energy / Reducing Air Pollution

• Use fluorescent bulbs (or lower wattage bulbs)
• Adjust the thermostat setting during summer and winter
• Turn off appliances when not in use
• Dry clothes outdoors instead of using a dryer
• Walk or bike instead of driving
• Turn off lights at night and when not in use
• Don’t leave the refrigerator door open for long periods
• Limit how many times you go in and out of the house during a short period
• Recycle (aluminum, plastic, glass, newspaper, etc.) whenever possible

An eco-friendly business cares about not only the bottom line, but also on the business’s impact on the environment.   Small businesses can impress consumers and clients with “green” practices, but what steps can a company take to begin the process of turning green?  The social benefits of moving your company toward eco-friendly practices are far-reaching. From a decrease in fossil fuels to creating a worker-friendly office environment, using sustainable and recycled resources lessens the impact on the environment. Well, start today with these tips and become an eco-friendly business that consumers want to patronize.

Make it a company-wide goal to decrease impact on the environment. Encouraging everyone to present ideas makes everyone accountable and interested in the office going green.

Poll your associates about where to take on eco-friendly business practices by sending out a questionnaire or e-mail and ask for ideas for going green. In the e-mail, give a date for a meeting of the minds so everyone can present ideas.  Form a committee at the meeting to choose the best practices that fit your business.

Gain momentum by holding a contest for the top 10 ways to go green. The 10 ideas will not only have the most environmental impact,  but they will also be the least expensive for the office. The people who came up with the ideas win a gift card or a special prize.

Start with small changes and build up to making the entire building eco-friendly.  The greening of the company may take place in stages with a plan of action put into place.

Use eco-friendly business cards. Buzz words for green business cards include the following: recycled, 100% post-consumer waste (PCW), tree-free paper, chlorine-free paper, vegetable-based ink, soy ink and 100% non-toxic toner. The best scenario is to find someone locally to print the cards.

While it may seem like a waste of money, planting trees outside the office and situating a garden or park near your building can make an environmental difference. Look for companies or organizations willing to do the work and maintenance if you fund the project.

Lighting inside the building can make a difference in your electric bill each month.  Change incandescent bulbs to energy-efficient lighting.

Start small by cleaning the air with plants. Use large plants in lobbies to create a healthier indoor environment, but then spread that out to employees.  The effect of plants on increased productivity is being studied.  A 1500-square-foot office area needs 15 to 20 plants to get the full air-cleaning effect. Plant suggestions for the office include: Dracaena, Ficus, Philodendron, Spathiphyllum and Diffenbachia. These plants remove toxins from the air and offer a green relief from a sterile office.

Cleaning supplies are a necessity for every building, but choose green products for the janitorial duties rather than toxic cleaners.

Create a recycling area in each break room or kitchen. Save paper, by using both sides and have a recycling bin to hold paper at every desk beside the waste basket.

Encourage carpooling and using public transportation. Reserve an area on a corkboard in the kitchen or breakroom for people wanting to carpool. Consider telecommuting for employees who can do their work at home just as easily as being in the office every day.

Cut down on paper consumption by refraining from unnecessary copying. Organize folders in a logical manner and store e-mails on the computer. Backing up important documents and e-mails on a CD assures you that even if a computer glitch occurs, nothing is lost.

Buy wood products from manufacturers who partner with companies that replant forests. Sustainable resources come directly from your region or area of the world. Little fuel is used for transporting products.

Employees should get into the habit of turning off computers or power strips each day.

Use coffee mugs instead of styrofoam cups.

It may seem necessary to travel for a conference or meeting with a client, but searching for alternative ways to achieve the same goal can save money. Web or video conferencing is becoming more reliable. Get your message across without ever leaving your chair. If a group is headed for the same place, carpooling to the airport and renting one car at the destination saves money and auto emissions.

Consider using digital print on demand (POD) to keep much-needed documents on hand for printing only when the need arises.  This green move saves a company money in document storage and warehouse costs.

Use old paper as scratch paper at your desk.

Get together and formulate a plan to lessen the company’s carbon footprint.  Gather statistics along with how the company benefits from minor changes.  If decision makers can see the gains, socially and monetarily, they are more apt to research and implement a plan.

Use these tips to begin small and work your way up until the company establishes itself as an eco-friendly business.