photo credit: Gustty

Instituting environmentally friendly practices does not mean sacrificing your competitive edge. Business owners are realizing that they can make a bigger impact by changing their business policies than by changing their personal behavior, and this has lead to a change in corporate culture over the last few years that has resulted in a notable environmental impact.

In the past, efforts to institute eco-friendly business practices were admirable, but these efforts appear negligible compared to the changes that are being made today. Minimizing the consumption of paper products and electricity are still effective ways for companies to save money and help the environment at the same time, but many companies are stepping outside these standardized boundaries to effect big changes.

Many companies are choosing to enact organization-wide policies that take enormous effort and patience, and the results of these efforts are just now filtering in. Leaving the choice in the hands of consumers often results in poor choices, but when companies choose to be careful about what they produce and how they produce it, the impact can be tremendous.

In the Great Lakes area of the United States and Canada, wind energy is becoming an increasingly viable source of power for companies of all sizes. Wind powered electricity costs only slightly more than standard electricity for the consumer, and many conscientious business owners are willing to pay the premium. For the producers of electricity, using wind power makes sense as a way to help reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Reducing dependence on one commodity allows the producers to further diversify and create a more sustainable financial future for their company. Thus, both the producers and consumers of wind powered electricity benefit from the creation of this clean, environmentally friendly energy source.

Pascale Engineering, a producer of portable trade show displays and trade show flooring in the Great Lakes area, has completely converted to the use of wind powered electricity in its state-of-the-art production facility. In addition to being totally wind powered, Pascale Engineering produces recycled and recyclable trade show displays that are quickly making their way into the market. These displays give exhibitors nationwide a green alternative in their trade show marketing campaign, which only serves to further the environmental goals of many companies.

End users are virtually unaware of the progress made by Pascale Engineering, as they notice no difference in cost. In fact, the Exhibit One Display System line or products produced by Pascale Engineering has seen a marketable increase in quality with no increase in cost. Thanks to research into lighter weight plywood materials, the Exhibit One product line has become more durable and more lightweight. This saves end users huge amounts of money in shipping costs each year, and increases their overall satisfaction with the product. In an effort to make their production process cause less waste, many products within the Exhibit One line use the exact same component pieces. In fact, the entire Exhibit One line can now be produced from a catalog consisting of less than a hundred parts. This means that if exhibitors want to upgrade their trade show display package, they do not always need to purchase new components, as the parts can simply be rearranged in many cases. This saves exhibitors enormous amounts of money each year. Positive environmental change does not always have to be associated with negative economic impact.

Simple changes in business practices and purchasing can make an enormous impact on the environment, and the cost of the choices is usually minimal or non-existent. Whether or not you believe that carbon emissions are the culprit behind our increasingly unstable global climate, there are simple changes that can be made that would make a big impact on the health of our planet.

Andy Keeler is the owner of MODdisplays. They specialize in trade show displays and exhibit graphics at and their trade show booths are environmentally friendly. MODDisplays can be found online at: http://www.moddisplays.com

photo credit: kevindooley

Calling all green business bods! Want to hear more about how environmentally-friendly technology can benefit your business? Or are you looking to further your environmental career by boffing up on the latest green science?

Green technology certainly is the way forward for smart business owners and job-seekers looking to move into a successful company. Advocates of green technology claim that the green revolution will be just as explosive and all-encompassing as the advent of information technology in the last 20 years. The main goals of green technology advocates are to end the cycle of disposable products, replacing it with one where products that can be reused are created; reducing waste and pollution; finding alternatives to fossil fuels; and creating new, sustainable methods of production that can meet society’s needs.

So where can you find out more?

Next month, ecoConnect, facilitator and promoter of innovative green technology, will host a green business forum with guest speaker Zac Goldsmith. Son of billionaire Sir James Goldsmith, Zac is a renowned environmentalist, anti-globaliser and the director and editor of The Ecologist magazine.

The forum is for anyone with interest or involvement in green technology and sustainablity. It will provide fascinating discussion on the environmental technology sector, as well as a showcase of examples of the most innovative green technology. The forum will take place on Tuesday 21st October at 6.30pm, at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Want to get involved? You can book a place by searching for ecoConnect’s website.

EcoConnect is a not-for-profit, social enterprise organisation, which holds regular green networking events useful to anyone pursuing an environmental career. Its mission is to champion green technologies and services, connecting them with commerce and industry.

If your business is lagging behind in the 20th century model of wasteful technology, or you are a job-seeker tired of working for a company like this, watch this space for more news about green technology, and keep checking our Blog for companies that are already part of the green revolution!

Rachel Charman, a writer for Juicyjobs.biz Green Jobs UK – an environmentally friendly green job search board which offers free job listings to Environmental, NGO’s, NFP’s and ethical companies promoting green, fair trade services and support sustainable living. For job seekers Juicyjobs can help you find the ideal Environment jobs in London.

photo credit: h.koppdelaney

Environmental & Economic Benefits

The “green gold rush” is on. Global investment in renewable energy surged some 60 percent, to $148 billion last year. Investment in clean energy from wind, solar and biofuels rose three times faster in 2007 than predicted by the UN Environmental Program, with wind power attracting $50.2 billion, a third of all clean energy investments. Investment in solar energy soared by 254 percent to $28.6 billion last year. This “green gold rush” is propelled by the soaring fossil-fuel prices, and concerns over carbon dioxide emissions that fuel global warming.

The world is at an undeniable crossroad. Projections show three to four times more electrical power could be required over the next 50 years to support continued growth in population and economic output. Clean, renewable sources are the answer. “Unlike other major energy transitions, such as wood-to-coal and coal-to-oil, moving from oil to alternatives will be forced and rapid,” writes Charles Cresson Wood, President of Post-Petroleum Transportation, a consulting firm.

The Cost of Conventional Energy

In the last six years, uranium prices have moved from $7 a pound to $80 a pound. Coal has moved from $22 a ton delivered at the plant to $55 a ton, and natural gas has gone from $2 per million BTUs to $12 per million BTUs. Oil went from $20 a barrel to $145 a barrel.

As these dirty energy resources become more costly, so follows the delivered price of electricity jumping by 70 percent in the last six years in New Jersey and many other states. All analysts expect continued increases in electricity costs.

Americans Want Solar

94% of Americans say it’s important for the U.S. to develop and use solar energy. 72% favor extension of Federal tax credits for renewable technologies, and 77% of Americans want the government to make solar power development a national priority, according to the independent polling firm, Kelton Research, June 10, 2008. “These results are an undeniable signal to our elected leaders that Americans want job-creating solar power, now,” said Rhone Resch, President of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

“Solar development means job growth for Americans, by Americans, in an industry that will benefit America,” said Dr. Gerald Fine, President & CEO of SCHOTT North America. “Rather than rely on foreign sources for fuel, the U.S. can aspire to become the world’s leader in clean energy.”

General Electric, with a goal of investing $6 billion in renewable energy by 2010, already surpassed the $4 billion mark this July. GE says that within two years, renewable energy will make up almost a quarter of its total investments in energy, up from 10% in 2006. Investment banks Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs all plan to take advantage of global interest in renewable investments. Meanwhile, NYMEX, the New York-based stock exchange, recently formed a consortium of financial institutions to launch a Green Exchange to trade Renewable Energy Credits.

The Market Speaks: Renewable Energy Finance Forum Wall Street
Over 600 senior executives attended the 5th annual Renewable Energy Finance Forum (REFF) held this June in New York City. “Each year, we have increasingly seen financial leaders on Wall Street recognize renewable energy companies as an important growth sector for the US economy,” said Michael Eckhart, President of the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) who hosted the forum along with Euromoney Energy Events. “This new reality has helped launch renewable energy investing into mainstream financial arenas and continues to drive the momentum of the industry,” said Eckhart.

Top analysts forecasted the industry’s potential in the US, for solar power, wind power and bio-fuels. Speakers also drew attention to wavering political issues threatening the viability of renewable developments as Congress currently debates the extension of critical investment catalysts like the Investment Tax Credit and the Production Tax Credit.

“Wall Street has shown us that the full forces of American innovation are ready to be deployed to meet our energy challenges. If government leaders can provide a stable long-term climate for investment, the renewable energy sector will see unprecedented growth, providing extensive economic opportunities and environmental benefits,” said John Geesman, Co-Chair of the ACORE Board of Directors and former Calif. Secretary of Energy.

GE Financial Services and ACORE released a report at the REFF weighing the long-term economic impact of wind development with the up-front cost of the production tax credit. The report found that the net present value of 2007 US wind development is worth $250 million more than the price tag for the tax credits, which was about $9 billion last year. According to the report, the tax credit pays for itself because of tax revenue received from wind projects, worker wages and other taxes. Once the PTC and ITC issues are behind the industry, the next big battle on Capitol Hill will be over a carbon-weighted policy like cap and trade, according to presenters.

“We simply need more energy. We’re not waiting around for governments to craft the perfect policies,” said Vivienne Cox, Executive Vice President of BP’s alternative energy business. “This is an important market, and we’re going to build a business around it.”
The US is currently the world’s fourth-largest solar power market after Germany, Japan and Spain. Japan is aiming for 30 percent of all its homes to have solar panels installed by 2030, bringing the number of installations to 14 million, according to Kyodo News. Japanese solar panel manufacturers, which include Sharp, account for half of the world output of solar power equipment.

Grid Parity

Grid Parity is the point at which Photovoltaic (PV) electricity costs the same or less than power derived from the electrical grid. PV Grid Parity is expected beginning 2012 in places where sunshine is plentiful, and 2018 in areas of the world with medium sun exposure, according to a study in June from iSupply Corp., an electronics industry analysis company.

Worldwide investments in the production of PV cells will rise to the same level as those for semiconductor manufacturing by 2010, due to booming demand for solar energy. Each PV factory will require an investment of $500 million or more, employ as many as 1,000 workers per site and generate annual revenue of $1 billion per year or more.

By 2010, as many as 400 production lines in the world that can produce at least 1 Megawatt (MW) of PV cells per year, will be in place, representing a four-fold increase in production lines from 2007. Factories capable of 1 Gigawatt (GW) of annual PV production will also be established in the future, to ensure continued strong delivery of PV cells to the market. PV cell production will become cheaper over time, with cell makers Q-Cells, AG, and REC Group expecting a reduction in PV system costs of 40 percent by 2010.

Tom Werner, chief executive of SunPower Corp., the largest North American solar panel manufacturer, sees Grid Parity for solar power in the US and elsewhere happening in about five years, or possibly as soon as 2010. “That’s actually more aggressive than what we would say previously, and that’s because the cost of electricity is going up faster than we had ever modeled,” Werner said at the Reuters Global Energy Summit this past June.

Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd., one of the largest of a growing number of Chinese solar companies, sees the same five-year timeline, thanks to increasing supplies of silicon that will help drive down costs.

The end of polysilicon shortages could cause PV costs to drop in half. “It takes about two or three years to add capacity,” says Travis Bradford, an industry analyst for the Prometheus Institute. The shortage has been severe enough to drive up silicon prices to more than 10 times normal levels, to $450 a kilogram, adds Ted Sullivan, an analyst at Lux Research.

The Business Case For Solar Now

Right now, in New Jersey, the average kilowatt of electricity is being sold to residents at the rate of 18 cents kwhr. If you purchase a 5 kw solar PV system for $40,000 that could generate about 8,000 kilowatts a year, and could easily last for 30 years (panels often carry a 25 year manufacturer’s warranty), your system would generate about 192,000 kilowatt hours over the 30 years, after subtracting 20% for rated age. Now, if you take the 192,000 kilowatt hours and divide it by $40,000, then each kilowatt costs you about 15 cents. Would you rather pay for your own clean, renewable energy system, that carries a 25 year warranty, or purchase dirty electricity coming from coal, nuclear or oil sources, at the rate of 18 cents?

I asked energy analyst, Charles Cresson Wood, if he thinks the price of solar electricity is at Grid Parity now with conventional electricity, when analyzed over 25 years, the typical warranty period of today’s solar panels. He replied, “When one realistically considers the trajectory of the costs for fossil fuels, then solar, wind and other renewables are less expensive over a time frame such as that which you mention.” The analysis is based on research done for his book Kicking The Gasoline & Petro-Diesel Habit.

Solar Is A Better Choice

Energy consultant Jim Harding estimates the operating cost per kilowatt-hour for a new nuclear plant will be in the region of 30 cents for its first dozen years, only dropping to 18 cents after construction costs are paid down. With distributed solar at the low end of this bracket and dropping, and with concentrated solar and wind power estimated at 14 cents per kilowatt-hour, energy companies are backing away from their proposals for new nuclear facilities. Of the seventeen currently in the planning stage, Moody’s Investor Service only expects one or two to be on line by 2015.

Cap-And-Trade System

A cap-and-trade provision would make it costlier to emit carbon into the atmosphere and discourage the burning of fossil fuels. The economics of solar and other cleaner energy sources would be even more competitive.

According to Amory Lovins, physicist and author, reducing carbon emissions would be cheaper and safer if nuclear was rejected in favor of alternatives that are sustainable. Investing in the nuclear option would suck up capital that would be spent more cost-effectively on renewable energy, efficiency and conservation. In contrast to the vast money pit required by nukes, every dollar invested in energy efficiency programs returns three dollars in electricity savings to utility customers.

While debates on disposal of radioactive waste, vulnerability to terrorist attacks, and large-scale use of fresh water required to run nuclear plants continue, it’s tough to argue with the numbers. If the debate is between a clean, renewable source such as solar, which can reach utility scale in some parts of the country, and a more expensive form of power that Wall Street investors won’t even touch, then the nuclear defenders may be running out of arguments. The bottom line is that nuclear costs two to 10 times more than its clean competitors.

Incentives For Renewables

There is not yet a national program in place, except for a 30% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) limited to a maximum of $2,000 for homeowners, with no limit for business. This applies to both solar PV and domestic solar hot water systems. The ITC will expire at the end of 2008, unless Congress passes an extension, which it is slated to do, by many political analysts.

Currently 25 states offer various incentives for homes and businesses. In New York, a rebate of approximately 50% is available for a solar PV system. New Jersey’s incentive program is going through a transition after offering an average of 60% rebates for the past seven years.

The plan is to move into a performance-based incentive, called the Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs), which pays the solar PV system owner annually based on the number of kilowatts produced by the system. A residential rebate of $3.00 per watt for solar PV systems, starting in 2009 till 2012 with incremental decreases is planned. That rebate would be close to 40% of the system cost.

For detailed information on specific state rebates, visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.

Power Purchase Agreements & Leases

The use of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and similar leasing instruments to finance residential and commercial solar power installations is taking off. The commercial solar PPA market has already been active in California and New Jersey.

The Atlantic City Convention Center has awarded Pepco Energy Services, a 20-year PPA to install one of the largest single roof-mounted solar arrays in the US. Under the 20-year contract, Pepco will build, own, operate and maintain the 2.36-Megawatt solar array for the Convention Center. Construction is planned for completion by December 31, 2008. Jeanne Fox, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities states, “This is an example of the kind of initiatives we hope to see as we transition to the sale or trade of SRECs to pay for solar projects.”

Last year, half of all the commercial solar installs in the US were PPAs, and this year that number is running between 60 and 80 percent, according to Jon Guice, researcher at AltaTerra, in Palo Alto, CA, a green energy consultancy group.

Sun Run, one of the first PPA-based residential distributed power companies in California, offers a standard agreement providing electricity at 13.5 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for 18 years, according to Nat Kreamer, Sun Run’s CEO. “If you do a 30-year look-back, residential electricity rates in California have risen an average of 6.7 percent per year,” he says. They offer various up-front payment options, so that an increased payment would result in delivered electricity decreases.

“We found the sweet spot for customers is up to $10,000 for prepayment, and that they want flexible options for reassigning the contract when they move, and not a big buy-out at the end,” Kreamer says. “At the end of the term, customers can renew their contracts for a year at a time, or buy out the system at a fraction of the installed cost.”

Another form of financing for residential solar systems that requires less or no up-front payments, is leasing. David Arfin, vice president of customer financing at Solar City of Foster City, CA states that, “The big difference is with a lease: there is no money down, and in most cases homeowners are saving money from day one.” Solar City leases typically run for 15 years, after which time homeowners can purchase the system for 20 to 30 percent of the cost of the installed system. Leases can be extended for five-year increments.

“With a PPA, the residential host agrees to pay for certain kWh produced on his or her roof, and they have a variable payment depending on what is produced and used. With our lease, there is a fixed payment every month, but they still get the benefits of whatever excess power is generated,” said Arfin. “It’s sort of like the difference between leasing a car by the mile or by the week,” he adds.

A Home Equity Line of Credit is the most profitable choice for credit-worthy NJ homeowners to finance a solar system. Their monthly loan payment will be comparable to the savings on their current electric bill. After factoring in rising electric rates and the SRECs, the homeowner can get extra income from their solar purchase.

The fact is, unless you own your own electric generating system, or have a set price agreement with a PPA or PPL, you are leasing your power from a utility company with no control over its future cost.

Clean Power Finance has tools and loan products to make the purchase of home solar power systems more affordable. Clean Power Finance tools assist with completing the rebates, and match multiple funding options. Everything is done online.

The Borrower’s Guide to Financing Solar Energy Systems: A Federal Overview provides information to assist both lenders and consumers in financing solar electric and thermal systems, with descriptions of special mortgage programs for energy-efficient homes. The free brochure is online at www.nrel.gov/docs/fy99osti/26242.pdf

For Super Big Renewable & Efficient Ideas The Dept of Energy will make up to $10 billion dollars in loan guarantee authority, available for projects employing energy efficiency, renewable energy and advanced transmission and distribution technologies that constitute New or Significantly Improved Technologies. It’s limited to 80% of total Project Costs, and requires a non-refundable minimum application fee of $18,750 to be considered.

Breaking news: Vice President Al Gore has begun a campaign that is so ambitious, it could be game-changing. He is challenging our nation to produce 100% of our electricity from renewable energy within 10 years. Al Gore noted, “To those who say 10 years is not enough time, I respectfully ask them to consider what the world’s scientists are telling us about the risks we face if we don’t act in 10 years.”

To learn how you can get involved in the Solar solution, and energy efficiency, a course is being offered at Brookdale Community College, in Lincroft, NJ on Tuesday nights from 7-9pm Sept. 23 through Oct. 7, 2008 and again in January 2009.For scheduling, call: 732-842-1900.
For more information go to http://www.bized.com

Cathy Sims, editor and publisher of the biz.ed Guide since 1986

photo credit: Victorrjr

Going “green” is big business today. Not only is going “green” an environmentally responsible approach for businesses of all sizes to take and one that is the current rage, but going “green” can leverage profit dollars to your bottom-line too.

First, what exactly do we mean by having your business go “green”? When we talk about “green”, we mean making a concerted effort to save our natural resources concerted action. Actions such as:

1. Saving on paper supplies – consider going digital for all of your internal office correspondence thereby saving on office supply costs and saving trees at the same time.
2. Lowing office energy consumption – lower your thermostat in the winter and raise it in the summer. Consider using an electronic programmable thermostat to lower your energy consumption when people are not in your office in the evenings and weekends.
3. Recycling drink bottles – get your employees to sort their lunch trash and recycle bottles and cans. Encourage the use of environmentally friendly alternatives to Styrofoam cups.
4. Using recycled paper – whenever possible use recycled paper in your print marketing materials saving trees and forests.
5. Using biodegradable alternatives – replace plastic packaging and plastic shipping materials with new biodegradable “plastic-like” alternatives. Many of these new alternatives do not cost more and warrant your consideration.
6. Driving less – drive less by consolidating the trips that you do need to make in your car saving fuel, mileage expenses, and decreasing air pollution in your city.
7. Using mass transit or considering car pooling – save money, conserve our natural resources, and lower air pollution all at the same time.
8. Buying Energy Star products – when you need new appliances or heating and cooling systems purchase those with the Energy Star label for increased efficiency and lower energy consumption. You’ll recover your initial investment and then start saving money in just a few years.
9. Stopping the Use Aerosols – use office and beauty products that are aerosol free. Consider letting your cleaning staff know to limit the use of aerosol based cleaning products in your office as well.
10. Limiting your travel by teleconferencing – not only will you minimize the pollution you would normally create in traveling but will make a significant savings on travel expenses improving your bottom-line significantly.

Although you may not be able to embrace each item in our list above, one of the biggest items that will leverage profit directly to your bottom-line is to increase your use of teleconferencing and decrease the amount of your travel both for long distance and in-town trips.

Teleconferencing provides many of the benefits of “being there” in person and now with the advent of Web conferencing (which is video with telephone conferencing combined and includes computer application sharing), putting in “face time” with a client just got significantly easier and less expensive.

When you as a business owner, do not have to pay for employee air travel, rental car expenses, hotel rooms, meals, long distance calls, mileage, and airport parking fees for even one less trip per month, the savings can be huge! Over the course of a year the potential savings and benefit to your profit can be so significant that you may change your employees to a very limited travel schedules.

What might be some of your actual cost savings? Here is just one example of actual travel expenses for an employee based in Washington DC to traveling to Groton, Connecticut for a three day business trip:

Air fare ;$400

Hotel for three nights ($120 per night) $360

Per Diem ($50 per day) $150

Airport Parking ;$50

Mileage to airport and back $20

Total Expense $980

This is just one example of a potential travel saving and is calculated at the government per diem rates. Your own company’s per diem reimbursement rate may even be higher. It is clear that not every trip can be replaced by teleconferencing, but what about the quick one day trips and meet and greet type contract reviews or routine sales calls. These can effectively be replaced by regular teleconferencing saving a business a huge amount of travel expenses over the year and leveraging a significant amount of profit to the bottom-line.

Before you comment “my clients need to have me in the same room”, consider trying out Web conferencing first. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that the positive statement you make as a “green” company resonates with your clients. Your clients may appreciate your efforts and willingly embrace your change to only occasional travel and more frequent Web and teleconferencing contact in their effort to help with your company’s “green” thrust.

Going “green” can help leverage money to the bottom-line. Just how much flow-through you get simply depends on you and the efforts that you are willing to take. Web and teleconferencing are easy to try, are fairly inexpensive to use, and can leverage the most profit to the bottom-line in the long run. Consider putting a “green” face on your business and improving your bottom-line in the process.

Amy Linley gives practical and usable advice regarding communication and meetings at AccuConference.

Find out more about our conference calling, web conferencing and video conferencing services from AccuConference.

photo credit: *mb**

When it comes to new construction techniques, grants are often a way to cut costs. Federal grants for green construction are plentiful with billions literally available.

A federal grant is an award of financial assistance from a Federal agency. It is intended to carry out a public purpose or support or stimulate a purpose that is authorized by a law of the United States. Federal grants can be found and applied for electronically. The site Grants.gov is the central clearing house for Federal Grants.

There are twenty six different agencies that offer over 1,000 grant programs. The grants that apply to green construction are mostly offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The total amount of grants available exceeds $400 billion dollars. The grants offered by the feds fall into twenty one categories. The categories that have the most impact on green construction are Energy, Environmental Quality, and Health.

Most of the grants are directed toward specific geographical areas. Some of the major concerns of the grants include water quality improvement and the prevention of urban storm water runoff. Many of the grants are connected with the Leeds certification program. Leeds stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a program that is run by the United States Green Building Council and it establishes green construction standards and awards certificates to those that maintain these standards.

Although there are federal grants available, it is on the state and local level that the large majority of grants can be found. The green movement is a grassroots type of thing that appears to be strongest at the local level. Environmental concerns are often very local, and the problems that have been caused by the neglect of the environment are local as well. The pollution of waterways is a good example of this. grant programs exist that are directed at the Great Lakes or at Puget Sound, for example. States that are bordering these waterways usually offers these grants. The idea of environmental impact areas has led to the localities that border or are inside the impact area being the best source of funds for projects that will address the problems.

Private foundations like the Kresage Foundation are among the best sources of green construction grants. The Kresage Foundation has been offering grants under their Green Building Initiative Program. It is specifically geared toward the area of planning and design. While it is true that State, local, and private foundations are the major sources of grants that can be considered pure green building, the federal government is also a source. Research is the key to finding a grant for your project, so take the time to explore the various options mentioned above.

Zack Verde is with GreenBuildingCompanies.com – providing green building articles.

photo credit: euzesio

It may be time to start loading up on some of those “green” companies, the environmental friendly corporations whose products we will be legislated and socially driven into using whether we want to save the planet or not.

There’s that annoying little voice again telling you that even though your investment portfolio seems to be slipping deeper into despair, the bargains are out there and a little bit of research is sure to uncover your next home run. It may even be time to start loading up on some of those “green” companies, the environmental friendly corporations whose products we will be legislated and socially driven into using whether we want to save the planet or not.

Unfortunately, if you’re like most Americans, your green experience has been limited to lugging those bottles down to the recycling center and changing a few light bulbs. In that case, you may have some difficulty knowing where to begin. Let’s face it – how many of us are really up on the latest silicon technology that is impacting the solar industry?

Peter Lynch, the man who helped put Fidelity Investments on the map, is famous for saying “Invest in what you know” by utilizing your “local knowledge”. The local knowledge is those few things we have some expertise in. Supposedly all of us possess this expertise (although I have doubts about some of my neighbors) and can apply it to our investments selections. If Peter Lynch can pick up some of his best ideas by following his wife and daughter through the mall to see where they shop, I see no reason why the rest of us can’t start “green investing” by looking at the products we already use. From automobiles to household cleaners, there’s a world of Green out there waiting to be put to the test.

Of course no test is worth much of anything without some studies behind it, and there’s no lack of them where selling the planet friendly is concerned. Using them as a guide helps shorten the path of research leaving a smaller virtual carbon imprint.

Pricing and Quality

A green product should function as well as a non-green product without any sacrifice in quality. Price can be at a premium, but there should be a perceived value that compensates for the pricing consideration. The Toyota (TM) Prius, the best selling global hybrid automobile, has recently reached sales figures in excess of 1,000,000 units. Even with a recently announced price hike, here is a prime example of a finely tuned balance between pricing and quality. With demand outstripping supply, its little wonder that Toyota says it will have a hybrid engine available on all its models by the year 2020.

Basic Need

Green companies must meet a basic need. Environmental friendly should be considered an added feature. With apologies to Kermit, a company producing leashes for pet frogs is no winner regardless how green.

Convenience

Remember chlorofluorocarbon gases? These were the propellants used in hairspray until banned because of the suspicion they were partly responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer. They were replaced by hydrocarbons like butane and propane, but that use decreased when a number of states began a move against them because of air pollution. Today, chemists continue to experiment with a variety of propellants that can be used in the aerosol can. But, why use the aerosol can at all when companies can market alternatives like the “greener” manual pump? Answer – most consumers prefer and use aerosol.

The Shelton Group, an advertising agency specializing in energy and sustainability did a national study, called Eco Pulse that asked about green issues. When consumers were asked to choose between their comfort and the environment, 46% chose their comfort over the 31% who chose the environment.

For a green company to be successful, it helps to recognize that at heart we’re just a bunch of lazy self- indulgent people. Peter Lynch knew this when he made a pile of money on Taco Bell.

Green Credentials

The old adage is you’ll never win an argument about politics and religion. Today you should add, “what’s a green company” to that list. It’s widely accepted that a company doesn’t need to be perfectly green, but beyond that, you’re on your own.

Turn for a moment to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT), the superstore a lot of folks love to hate (at least in their own back yards) for its large scale development and the problems which ensue. This is the same Wal-Mart that is the nations second largest distributor of organic foods (behind only Whole Foods Market (WFMI), regularly revamps stores for increased energy efficiency and has major initiatives for supplies to produce eco-friendly goods.

Is Wal-Mart Green? Its Chief Executive, Lee Scott, says Wal-Mart is a “good steward for the environment and will ultimately use only renewable energy sources and produce zero waste.”

Critics contend that the size of a Wal-Mart Supercenter in terms of store and parking lot size alone contribute to so much spoiled acreage and water pollution, that Wal-Mart can never be truly green.

Like a consumer deciding to shop at a particular store, its up to the green investor to decide whether a company is “green enough” to meet whatever standard is applied.

So the next time you pick up a green household cleaner, apply some of the techniques of Peter Lynch and the guides used above. Who knows- if your ship comes in, maybe you’ll be able to finally afford that wind powered yacht (read sailboat) you’ve been dreaming about.

Glenn “Chip” Dahlke, a Senior Contributor to the http://www.LivingTrustNetwork.com has 30 years in the investment business. He is a Registered Representative with LPL Financial and a principal with Dahlke Financial Group. He is registered to transact securities business with persons who are residents of the following states: CA. CT, FL, GA, IL. MA, MD. ME, MI. NC, NH, NJ, NY.OR, PA, RI, VA, VT, WY. Securities offered through LPL Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC. Contact him at chipdahlke@dahlkefinancial.com or at his office in Lyme, CT (860) 434-4261. You may also contact him at the http://www.LivingTrustNetwork.com if you wish.

Copyright 2008. Living Trust Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved

photo credit: Mikey G Ottawa

About Green Fundraising

Fundraising Coordinators have been looking for something new for years that their groups can take and sell to raise money. Everyone, it seems, already has enough wrapping paper and frozen cookie dough and chocolate bars and they want something different, something they might actually use.

Enter green fundraising. Green fundraisers work exceptionally well as they are capitalizing on people’s newfound desire to save the planet. Most people wonder what they, as one person, can do to save the planet and green fundraisers offer them products to help do just that.

Green Fundraiser Options

Green fundraisers offer groups a wide variety of products all designed to help them raise as much money as possible by allowing them to present products that people actually want to their customers. As was stated previously, most people want to do something to help the planet. Green fundraisers offer products ranging from reusable shopping bags, to trees, to organic foods. All of which help to improve the environment and enrich people’s lives.

The organic foods can be purchased “dry” meaning they come as premixed powders that only need water and eggs to be transformed into delicious goodies. Or, a fun twist on the healthy fundraiser is to have a bake sale where you sell organic breads and fruits.

Reusable shopping bags can completely eliminate plastic bag waste which is one of the top contributors to pollution in the world.

Tree fundraisers tend to be some of the most successful green fundraisers. People can instantly identify with the numerous benefits they will receive from purchasing the tree. And, their low cost makes the purchase an easy one.

Your Group and Green Fundraising

A fundraising coordinator looking to offer their group the best fundraiser available should look into green fundraisers. Though not many companies currently offer green fundraising ideas and options, the ones that do tend to be incredible helpful. Green fundraisers are perfect for schools and other organizations that have been told they can not or do not want to sell unhealthy food items such as candy and cookie dough.

Jordan Gottlieb

http://www.go-green-fundraising.com

Learn more about Green Fundraising.

Learn more about Healthy Fundraisers. Learn more about Tree Fundraisers