photo credit: Choubistar

In today’s global market place people are looking to go green for many reasons.
One good reason is the environmental impact going green has.

If you consider the impact of fuel burn in the daily commute to work the overpowering reason to go green is the cost of gasoline.

More and more the ability to stay at home and telecommute is taking first choice for many people.
Inter the home business arena and the ability to have family time when you want it, work in your sweats and slippers, not have to suck the exhaust fumes of the traffic ahead of you on the daily commute is another environmental plus.

Now the dawn of going Green really makes sense to the stay at home business. With the event of webinar conference calls, instant messaging, email, the access to the internet on every form of communication and the blossoming down turn of corporate jobs has awakened the drive of many home businesses.

The ability of high technology to interface with down home values has driven one home business to record setting growth. This is good news to those looking for a home business in this maze of global confusion.

To have a successful green home business you want to be sure that you do not jump on the wrong ship. Several things must align for green be effective.

The product should be toxic free with a wide range use (usable for animals and humans alike).

The return on your work should be substantial with no hard qualifying to keep your check coming in each month.

There should be no breakage on commissions that go to the company ever. Avoid the company that says in their income statements “we pay Up To” a certain amount this is a sign that they may not pay that much unless you qualify.

The company should have a strong vision of where they are going long term and should have a strong policy of enforcement.

There should be a global bonus pool that all the top distributors can share in which helps the many groups of distributors work together for the common goal of the company (IE, they all share in the global growth eliminating competition.)

Last but not least there should be many events tied to the internet for training the new growing business builders who want go green and make lots of green from home.

One company has accomplished all of that in one sweep. Growing at a rate in its first four years faster than Wal-Mart, E-bay, and if you think back that far even Microsoft.

This going green and high-tech for this company had created some income figures that out pay some if the top government paying jobs in the white house. This company has made more millionaires than the famed show Deal or No Deal. Going green can really change your life and life style. Try it you might like it!

Keith Hiebert has over 25 years of experience in the home business arena and as aligned himself with Xango a company that in five years is doing business in twenty five countries so far. Keith Hiebert can be reached by accessing his web site http://StreamLineQuick.com

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: Melissa Goldstein

You can save face as a responsible, “green” corporation while also saving money on buying solvent. In many cases, if you buy a solvent recycler from a knowledgeable vendor, your investment could be paid off on an average of less than one year from time of purchase. Not only will the investment pay for itself, but you can avoid waste removal costs, excessive solvent purchasing costs, and give your company a public profile that promotes your stance on being responsible to maintaining a clean environment.

There are obvious advantages to recycling your own solvent. The first advantage stems from the recent positive publicity from “going green.” While it is beyond the scope of this article to discuss issues such as global warming or water conservation, these and other environmental issues have taken center stage in the media. If your company already recycles its solvent, taking advantage of your contribution to the well-being of the environment will make other companies want to do business with you. The trend of “going green” will stay around for a while. Other companies such as Wal-Mart and Starbucks ride their green reputations to profitability. Even if you are involved in the B2B community, other companies want to do business with companies that are seen as responsible.While using solvent recyclers helps your green profile, your bottom line should also be helped in a more concrete way as well. Whether your company uses solvents in the manufacturing process or in some other manner, solvents cost money. Disposing of used solvent also costs money. Not only is the price of solvent going up, but the price of disposing also goes up. By recycling solvent, instead of procuring new solvent, your company can reuse over and over. Also, since regulations require that used solvent be disposed of in a lawful manner, you become dependent on your waste hauler to take care of this service. Waste haulers can end up charging you a lot for this service, knowing that you are in position to not be able to refuse. Your supply of solvent can be reused with solvent recyclers. You also lose your dependence on waste disposal businesses.

Solvent recyclers generally pay for themselves within the first year. A competent, professional vendor of solvent recyclers can help you determine the type of machine appropriate to your operation. There are no “one-size-fits-all” solutions to recycling your solvent. Each industry and each business within an industry uses various amounts of solvent. A machine that is too small will be inconvenient while a machine that is too big will be wasteful overkill. Also, some businesses want a solvent recycler that can be automated to a large degree. After all, these organizations are not in the recycling business. They want to spend as little time as possible having to mind the recycling machine. Your solvent recycler should work within your organization. It should dovetail with your company’s processes. Contacting a supplier of solvent recyclers should help you achieve this end.

Owning a business in these times is more challenging than ever. You not only have the responsibility to your bottom line, but now there is the added responsibility of being a good corporate citizen. The good news is that you can balance these needs. Regardless of your industry you can save money through the use of solvent recyclers. Not only can you save money by reducing the costs of purchasing new solvent, you can also control your waste disposal costs. The added benefit of having these machines also comes from your ability to promote your business’s ecological consciousness. By contacting a qualified vendor of solvent recyclers, you can get the machine that fits your business and reap these benefits.

photo credit: stephentrepreneur

During the past year, news outlets have been littered (forgive the pun) with stories highlighting Fortune 1000 companies investing in new green initiatives. Throughout 2008, numerous surveys released by Harris Interactive, Intellitrends, Bentley, and Mintel indicate an increasing consumer awareness in going green. Similarly, a growing consumer segment now assesses a company’s environmental policies before making the decision to purchase a good or service. This trend has not gone unnoticed by professional marketers. “Grey” companies, those publicly displaying a cursory interest in environmental sustainability, are surely receiving briefs involving these surveys. In response, many are scrambling to repaint their products and corporate images to match the expectations of a Green business. World-renowned names including CitiBank, Bank of America, Wal-Mart, and Clorox each have allotted billions of dollars into various ecocentric technologies and strategies. Industry experts see this transition of capital funds not as a simple fad, rather, a long-term trend in the way business will be conducted beginning now and stretching far into the future.

Companies engaged in a restructuring of their sustainability policies are reaping the benefits by virtue of an increasing sales volume, a decreasing employee turnover rate, and, of course, diminishing energy costs.

So what exactly is a Grey business? In the past, the terminology “grey to green” referenced initiatives for river cleanup efforts stemming the negative effects of storm water runoff. As with many words and phrases over time, the modern meaning is shifting; it now relates best with environmental sustainability. In the growing “green” diction, a Grey company may either represent one which is not sustainably producing environmentally friendly products (and may be engaging in greenwashing), or simply a conventional business that has yet to adopt more sustainable operating practices. A continuously updated Green language dictionary may be found on the GreenProfit Community Portal.

Too often, media attention gravitates towards either large Grey companies announcing enormous green investments, or on new environmentally focused startups. Left out of the spotlight (and the green movement) are existing small and medium sized companies, representing 90% of the nation’s enterprises. Currently, most are simply weathering the economic slowdown, and few, if any, possess the assets to duplicate the initiatives of certain Fortune 1000 examples. However, if expert claims and public surveys are correct in predicting the continued growth of environmental sustainability from a growing trend to a human necessity, companies not adopting sustainable practices may suffer.

Fortunately, modifying a company’s environmental policies and practices does not necessarily require any large investments. Likewise, once a company has adopted a series of guidelines, their marketing efforts can be modified accordingly to take advantage of these changes. Businesses seeking advice and assistance may smooth the process by taking advantage of packaged programs available through firms specializing in shifting towards greener operations.

With both national and international attention now firmly set on efforts to mitigate and reduce climate change, increase sustainability in all regions, and create energy independence, going from Grey to Green is a strategy every business should consider.

Joseph Winn is the President/CEO GreenProfit Solutions, Inc., an environmental consulting and benefits firm specializing in assisting small and medium size companies in Going Green. You may contact Joseph at:

jwinn@greenprofitsolutions.com

http://www.greenprofitsolutions.com