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: Edgar Zuniga Jr.

As is occurring in many states, New York is trying to promote Green Building practices. The state is doing it by offering tax credits as financial incentives.

New York Green Building Initiative

The concept of green building isn’t particularly old and has arisen as a result of a better understanding of the impact of buildings on people and the environment. Ideally, green buildings are designed to use non-polluting energy, recyclable resources and systems that avoid health impacting elements. These buildings are extremely environmentally friendly, provide healthier environments for workers and decrease the heat and pollutant situations found in tightly packed structure and population areas such as New York City.

While green building is a nice idea, our country is based on capitalist methods. If green building isn’t cost efficient, no developer is going to pursue it because doing so will give their competition a price advantage. This is where the New York Green Building Initiative comes in.

The Initiative addresses the cost impact of green building by creating financial incentives to promote the process. By going green, developers are given breaks through tax credits. The state is one of the first in the nation to provide such an incentive system, which is a major incentive. The advantage of tax credits over other incentives is they are incredibly useful in reducing tax liability. Unlike a tax deduction which comes off of gross revenues, tax credits are used to reduce the actual amount of tax owed. For instance, if is a developer owes $5 million in taxes and gets a $2 million dollar tax credit, it has to pay $3 million in taxes.

The New York Green Building Initiative offers developers tax credits of up to $2 million dollars for using green building techniques when building structures. The program is in place until 2014. The Initiative is run by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which can provide you with more information on the program and the application process.

The New York Green Building Initiative represents another step in the recognition of the impact our society has on the environment. By promoting better building practices with tax credits, New York is the model for promoting green building.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit us to read more articles on solar power and renewable energy.

photo credit: technicolorcavalry

Solar Is Our Future: Crafting Your Own Green Collar, Solar Business

Starting a home based solar energy business has many rewards and challenges. Starting a business is a big responsibility that includes commitment, professionalism, training, and self-discipline. It involves careful consideration, such as what type of competition you’ll encounter and the demand for the solar rental service you can expect. Start searching for your next dream job.

Due to this commitment, the Department of Energy will be more than willing to give out grants for something like a home-based, solar energy business. Steven Chu, the new Secretary of Energy has pledged to make the Department of Energy’s services more available to the common person. This means that anymore who want to run a business from home promoting the use of solar energy should be able to work their way through the bureaucracy well.

The change in attitude related to renewable, solar energy just offers way more options to a person, who may have lost their job during this economic downturn, to get a let up and start their own, work from home business.

Most of the grants and funding work is done through the Office of Science Grants and Contracts Division. The Office of Science Contracts would make an assessment on whether or not the work from home solar energy business would be viable enough to be worthy of a government subsidy. The DOE has launched what they call the Solar America Initiative. Many new renewable energy initiatives will establish many new forms of energy all from off grid places by twenty-fifteen.

There are other options and ways to start your own solar energy business besides getting the whole business operation up and running by yourself. You can look for other established or emerging companies that have inexpensive ways to become affiliated with them. To be a sales associate in most organizations doesn’t take a lot of work. You may need to pass a test to show you are qualified and know a little about solar energy but that is usually it.

You do not need to be a college graduate or a seasoned sales executive. More often than not, a person with passion and drive can really make a difference. There are opportunities in the renewable energy industry for those who believe in solar power and wish to promote alternate ways to help the U.S. produce electricity.

If you are required to pay a fee to become involved in a business opportunity, it may mean something is fishy. Good business opportunities, especially targeting the home-based entrepreneur, show not fees or additional costs to join. You should be on the lookout if they do. A reputable company will not ask new associates to pay for a “welcome kit” or sample products. The primary objective is about creating a team, a collective of passionate people all doing good by referring U.S. homeowners to exciting aspects of renting a solar energy system for their home.

Obviously the idea of a home based solar energy business that promotes the renting of a solar system versus having to buy one is a super way to offer renewable energy and one great idea that will get us all closer to moving off the grid for good.

A green collar, solar job was talked about so much during the 2008 presidential election. A green collar job would revive the solar manufacturing base in this country and provide opportunity to people who otherwise might not be able to make a good living or who may have recently lost a job. A small business is the lifeblood of the economy for many communities so when a green collar job is a part of a small business, it is a winning combination.

The exciting aspect of solar energy is the potential for growth. The renewable energy industry is still in its infancy. With less than 2.three percent of the U.S. home solar energy market is tapped currently. Renewable energy has a long way to go and much growth to tap into. What’s more, solar power makes up three fifths of a percent of the total renewable share, and yet, solar power has the greatest potential of all renewable types for rapid, exponential growth.

There are also several websites that promote the idea of home based renewable energy. Many of these websites have connections to private equity and venture capital firms who would consider investing in a solar energy company, but the truth is that there is such a calling for something innovative like a home based solar company that large upfront investments are not necessary in many ways.

Home based solar energy companies would fit nicely in the scheme of the President’s Advanced Energy Initiative. Dr. Chu, who was referenced earlier, stresses the need for a strong partnership with the private sector related to the growth of solar.

As a professor at Stanford, Chu has written on the benefits of renewable energy for home usage and how it will help ease our way off fossil fuels. Chu has called for a revolution in alternative fuels and he says there is no better time than now to confront challenges like global warming. This is why 2009-2010 would be a great time to start up a home based solar energy business.

At Solargies, our mission is to spread the use of renewable energies as simply as possible. We provide U.S. homeowners the option to rent a solar electric system. We also offer entrepreneurs a no cost method to build their own solar energy business. Lost your job recently? Why not create a whole, renewable one. Learn more about Daniel at http://www.EcoCrews.com

photo credit: Erik Charlton

The government is now making an extensive drive of promoting the use of alternative fuels specifically the biodiesel. The government and the private sectors alike are now working hand and hand to make the move to alternative fuels realizable. Both have their own contributions in the development of the alternative fuels. Most of their projects are focused on the developments of the biodiesel and other alternative fuel technologies. But with the lack of information and cooperation from the ordinary people, these projects are moving at slower paces. They need the help of the people in order to see some lights in their projects for their success lies on the people as users and makers of the needed resources. And to attract more people to support the project, the government is giving grants such as the biodiesel grant to all the supporters of the project.

The biodiesel grants give special grants or rewards to biodiesel producers. The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) in particular gives small grants worth $3,000 for those who are interested in producing biodiesel. The NCAT is an organization that helps the people and the community to adopt the new technologies that help save energy and other resources. The group also gives the same grant amount to the farmers who raise crops that can be used as good sources of the oil needed in making biodiesel. These grants are also open for projects that deal in the development of biodiesel and discovery of new biodiesel formulas.

If you are a farmer and you want to shift into planting of crops for use in biodiesel, you can use the said biodiesel grant to support your farming needs. You can avail of the special projects of the government and other sectors regarding the development of biodiesel fuels.

Not only the farmers and the biodiesel developers benefit in these grants. In Florida, one of their public bus systems-the Lynx now uses biodiesel on their 290 units. This move by the company from using diesel fuels to the use of biodiesel-blended fuels was given recognition by the government. In fact, the Florida Renewable Energy Grants Program has given them a two-year biodiesel grant worth $2.5 million. With this grant amount and to support heir own consumption of the biodiesel, the Lynx has built its own blending station. Their station will also serve as a medium for the biodiesel and demonstration projects in their area aside from supporting their own fuel needs. Their station is capable of replacing 1.2 million gallons of diesel with cleaner and renewable fuel. The grant given to the Lynx has made their transition easier and at the same time it gave them the resources for their maintenance.

Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about biodiesel grants, please visit Alternative Fuels Today for current articles and discussions.

photo credit: samdaq (AT) hotmail

To the surprise of many, the government tries to modify our behavior through monetary strategies and the same is true for promoting green construction. In this case, we are talking about funding a green project.

There are numerous sources for the funding of green project research and construction. They exist on the National, State, and local level. They include grants, tax credits, and loans. The important thing to understand when you begin a search for a source of funding is that the government and society in general is very anxious to assist you with your green project. We are not just waking to the global dangers. Our leaders are already wide awake and know that green construction is an essential element of the future health of our nation. They want to help, particularly on the state level.

The central clearing house for Federal Programs is the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA). This website based catalog gives information of all federal programs that supply funds to state agencies, local agencies, and non-profit organizations. They also list programs that are available to private developers and even individuals. This catalog can be accessed online and application made online as well.

There are over $400 billion dollars offered in over 1,000 Federal Grant programs. These programs are all listed and explained on the grant [dot] gov website. In addition to full information, application forms for the grants can be downloaded from the site, and the final submission can be entered there as well. Grants are not as easy to get as some people think, but they are possible. They also have the major advantage over loans and other funding sources because they do not have to be repaid in most cases.

There are several national green construction funding opportunities. One is the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Obviously, this office is interested in Energy Efficiency in building construction use and also of the use of renewable energy sources. They will provide funding for research and the demonstration of these two things in green construction. Green Communities is a five year and $555 million dollar initiative to build a total of 8,500 environmentally health houses for low income families.

There are also several Foundations dedicated to green construction funding. The Home Depot Foundation is one, and another is the Kresage Foundation. There is help available on the State and local level also. The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) is one example of a State level resource. There are also a large number of local based incentives as well. Green construction is an interesting meeting between those looking for funding and those agencies willing to provide it.

Zack Verde is with GreenBuildingCompanies.com – providing information on green construction.

photo credit: bbjee

The world of big business is making daily headlines by “going green” after discovering that what’s good for the planet is also proving good for business.

IBM recently announced “Project Big Green,” a $1 billion initiative to reduce energy consumption by offering new lines of energy-efficient IT products.

Wal-Mart is adding solar power to more than 20 stores.

PepsiCo is buying renewable energy certificates to offset its carbon footprint. Even major banks and energy firms are being asked by shareholders to prove that they, too, are going green.

It’s not just the biggest businesses that are attracting new customers and shareholders and reaping huge profits by “going green.” Small businesses also are growing eco-profits by embracing surprisingly inexpensive strategies to add value to their products, services and brand.

Consider these innovative examples:

- Bob Smith of Mad River Brewing Company in Blue Lake, California, has attracted positive publicity (and new customers) by promoting his efforts to reduce his small firm’s waste output and take other environmentally conscious steps. In turn, he has received welcome positive publicity from the press. “What PR budget? That is our PR budget,” he told the Albuquerque Tribune about “going green” to market his business.

- In Florida, Natalie Kelly formed Home Therapy Cleaning Services, which uses only nontoxic, all-natural cleaning products for her home cleaning business. She used to sell aromatherapy candles from her home, she told the St. Petersburg Times, but today uses an aromatherapy baking soda blend to freshen carpets.

Here’s what you can do:

- Two inexpensive ways any small business or solo entrepreneur can go green are to change light bulbs to energy-efficient bulbs and use biodegradable cleaning products.

- With that done, tell your customers and the media about these simple ways to go green. You will have just earned instant credibility as a green business, and also as a media resource for simple, effective ways to “go green.”

- Many communities online and offline are forming networks to exchange energy-saving ideas for home and business. Form your own energy network, enlisting neighborhood businesses that will welcome another opportunity to show they’re going green, too. The plus for you is that you will have just positioned yourself and your business as a community environmental leader.

- Copy what the New York Times called “Phase 2″ of the corporate response to global warming. Partner with an environmental group. Travelocity invites customers to donate an extra $10 to $40, which goes to the Conservation Fund to plant trees to offset the carbon used by a client to take a trip. Whole Foods invites customers to buy a $5 “wind power card” that goes to Renewable Choice Energy to build wind farms. What local environmental group can you partner with to promote on your Web site (and vice versa), to set aside a day that a percentage of profits will go to that organization or to make their fliers available at your business?

- Make use of readily available, free information to hand out with your business literature or to make available in your office. For example, create a one-page flier on your letterhead inviting clients to calculate their own carbon footprint by visiting http://multimedia.wri.org/safeclimate_calculator.cfm

- Go deeper green! Attend a “green” conference in your community or region, and promote your attendance. (Go to Google.com and type in “green” and “conference” and your area to find out when and where they are scheduled.) Write a “green” article on simple ways you are going green and submit it to one of the dozens of “green” Web sites and blogs that invite reader contributions. It’s a great way to market your smart ideas and your business!

Ruth Klein, the De-Stress Diva ™ and Branding Guru, is the proverbial Woman About Town. Holding a Master’s in Clinical Psychology, consulting with renowned businesses – small and large. Ruth is a consultant, author, speaker, radio show host, branding strategist and productivity coach. http://www.ruthklein.com .

photo credit: angela7dreams

Like the automotive and manufacturing sectors, the aesthetic industry along with organic skin care companies are focusing on limiting the impact they have on the environment. Rather than just focusing on the end product, aesthetic companies are now focusing on how their entire business, from production to marketing plans and packaging, to find ways to help the environment and the customers. Producers of green beauty products want the earth to look as healthy and beautiful as all of the faces on it.

Green Products

Green companies in the aesthetic industry have turned their backs on unsustainable resources and harsh chemicals in their products. Years ago, ingredients were taken from the natural environment or made in the lab without a thought to the devastating effects this has on the earth’s ecosystems. Chemicals used in the growth of resources and the production of products go into the air and the water supply. These substances are also absorbed into the bodies of consumers.

Today, the resources used in organic skin care products and the cosmetic industry, come from sources that can be produced through organic farming and other renewable methods rather than being harvested from the natural environment. With these new green practices, care and consideration for endangered species and the rest of the animal and plant population is also taken into account. Items such as sun block, for example, would be applied to the skin only to be absorbed into the body and leeched into the water. Today, organic skin care products like Sunsation are being created that do not contain chemicals that harm marine life and consumers.

Green Business Practices

The way the aesthetic industry conducts day-to-day business has also changed due to the introduction of green practices. Rather than tossing mountains of paper and ink into the garbage, computers and the internet have eliminated a lot of the waste. Paper and ink that is used by cosmetic businesses is now recycled along with packing materials and many other items that used to end up in the landfill.

Energy, water, and other resources used in offices and factories are being conserved as much as possible. An emphasis is placed on using energy efficient appliances. Machinery and production methods are changed to use less renewable energy or are altered to work more efficiently.

Organic skin care and cosmetic companies have augmented their marketing plans to include eco-friendly practices as well. Media kits, for example, are now available online and paper flyers, ads, and catalogues have disappeared. Things such as telephone and web conferences are helping to cut down on travel.

Shipping And Packaging

The adoption of green practices in the aesthetic industry has altered the way products are shipped and packaged. Organic skin care and other cosmetic companies eliminate unnecessary packaging. Any packaging used for their products are recyclable and made from earth friendly materials. This not only saves on waste, but it also maximizes shelf space and makes shipping more efficient because more products fit into each load. Packing materials used when shipping products to retailers and distributed are made of recycled material as well.

The aesthetic industry sees green practices as a necessary step to doing business successfully. Organic skin care companies and other businesses in the cosmetic industry are constantly changing their products and the way their businesses run to ensure they are as customer and environmentally friendly as possible. Everyone in the world is responsible for the fate of the world and the only way to change it is to work together.

Kent Campbell is an author for DNA Skin, an organic skin care company offering a variety of formulas that utilize the ionic chemistry technique. Developed by Dr. Noel Aguilar, DNA Skin products are available through professional dermatologists and at elite spas throughout the globe.

photo credit: Lee Jordan

Environmental & Economic Benefits

A new color class of jobs that could cross all lines, including the unemployment line, is here. It’s called “green-collar jobs,” and could save our environment and economy. This blossoming sector includes technicians in the renewable energy and energy-efficiency industries, in which there are already 8.75 million U.S. jobs.

The term “Green Collar Jobs” was first coined by Alan Durning in his 1999 book, Green Collar Jobs. His book examines the move from economic dependence on logging timber to “green-collar” jobs such as sustainable forestry, ecosystem restoration and tourism in the post logging rural towns of the Pacific Northwest.

Urban Studies Professor Raquel Pinderhughes, of San Francisco State University, first defined green collar jobs in 2006 as “manual-labor jobs in businesses (or other enterprises) whose products and services directly improve environmental quality.” She identified 22 economic sectors in which green jobs are located, including green building, energy retrofits and sustainable food production.

By the year 2030 the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries are poised to generate up to 40 million U.S. jobs and generate $4.5 trillion in revenue if public policies, including a renewable portfolio standard, incentives, public education, and R&D are put in place, according to a recent report.

The report was commissioned by the American Solar Energy Society, a leading nonprofit dedicated to advancing the U.S. toward a sustainable energy economy. “Everyone knew the renewable energy boom was coming, it just showed up sooner than anyone expected,” said Neal Lurie, Director of Marketing of the American Solar Energy Society.

Internationally renowned energy economist Roger Bezdek, Ph.D., President of Management Information Services, Inc., based in Washington, D.C., led the research.
Key findings of the report include:

* The 40 million jobs that could be created in renewable energy and energy efficiency by 2030 include millions of new jobs in manufacturing, construction, accounting, and management

* Renewable energy and energy efficiency industries today produce nearly $1 trillion in revenue in the U.S. generating more than $150 billion in tax revenue at the federal, state, and local levels

* Revenue from the energy efficiency sector, including from energy efficient appliances, insulation, windows and recycling, is currently larger than revenue from renewable energy, but the renewable energy industry is growing much more quickly

* Solar, wind, ethanol, and electric vehicles are likely to be some of the hottest areas of growth

The energy bill passed in 2007 does authorize $125 million for green-collar job training programs in 2008 but the industry says that isn’t enough to keep more of the jobs from getting outsourced. Some of the jobs can’t be outsourced, such as Home Energy Star Rater, or solar installer or spray foam operator.

For those who are looking for some adventure, hard work, a secure future and want to be in on the nuts and bolts of it, getting some dark green training is advisable, which can come from a combination of “learn as you earn” on the job training, and formal classroom or online study.

There are a light green variety of jobs on the horizon for those who aren’t up for the demands of a dark green job, such as bolting down solar panels, or operating a spray foam machine. The light green jobs include salespeople, marketers and managers to handle procurement and sales of Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), administrators and assistants to process paperwork involved with incentives, lobbyists to help pass favorable legislation for the environment and lawyers to handle legal interests of the green business.

Becoming certified in a Home Energy Rater System (as a HERS rater), or in the Building Performance Institute (BPI) as a certified energy auditor, is a hot field right now. This usually requires a combination of work in a related area, along with technical classroom training on the latest building science that, if applied, could save a homeowner 20% to 75% on heating, cooling, water and electric bills.

The HERS rater or BPI certified energy auditor training is essential to knowing how to use tools like a blower-door to test for air-flow leakage, infra-red cameras to check for insulation levels, gas detectors to test for gas leaks, carbon monoxide detectors for hazardous venting conditions, etc. Consider attending the Affordable Comfort Institute conference this September in Atlantic City, NJ. See http://www.affordablecomfort.org

While some have complained that environmentally-friendly measures might stall economic growth, others, including high-level investors from Wall Street, are maintaining that the move to green is already offering many opportunities.

The fact is, per unit of electricity produced, more jobs are created for renewables than for coal, gas-fired or nuclear plants, including all construction and fuel cycles. What’s good for the environment is what’s good for the economy, because a shift to better energy solutions would create jobs, better health, and a sustainable planet.

For more green collar job resources, see http://www.bized.com

Cathy Sims, BA in Sociology, journalist for 30 years and publisher and editor of the biz.ed Guide for 22 years. Host of the Business Education Talk Show on Cablevision for 12 years.