The Evolution of Green in Business

"Green" business has been around for about 40 years officially. Right now it has become not just a niche, but a huge marketing need, and even a necessity to keep up with competitors.

The evolution of green into business has come a long ways. Back before 1970, factories actually dumped their waste legally into the water, and pumped toxic fumes into the air with no thought about it. Probably even got a bonus for doing it, or a some nice coach gifts for the skipper. April 22, 1970, when Senator Gaylord Nelson put out a call to Americans to start a grass-roots effort to protest the pollution generated by industry. That first Earth Day, some 20,000 people demonstrated in cities across the country. Six months later, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was founded to regulate business practices that harmed the environment.

While many regulations over the years have focused on pollution on a mass scale from factories, we have moved on to a bit of a different style of green. Conservation has become the new theme for most, while still being environmentally safe. This is good for consumers as well since we are more likely to want sustainability from our products. They last longer, and use less energy, which saves us more money.

So...take a look at how to get yourself on the right track by reading about how the green evolution ahs become standard business practice.

The Green Bubble?

Remember the Tech Boom, and the following Tech Bubble Burst in early 2000? While the economy is nowhere near where it was then, in fact it hasn't even moved back to the heights of that level since, many wonder if the lack of results in "Green" are headed for the same fate. Sweating the debts, and lack of results for all the clamoring of green technologies, I'm sure many are plowing through their acne medicine.

At a time when most startups can't get funding and even government-backed small-business loans are scarce, there is seemingly endless enthusiasm for cleantech--that is, young companies that create energy out of renewable sources such as wind or sunlight, or make vehicles powered by something other than fossil fuel.

Cleantech is "the greatest economic opportunity of the 21st century, says Ira Ehrenpreis, board member of the National Venture Capital Association and general partner with Technology Partners, in Palo Alto, Calif. It is the only sector, he points out, that combines bipartisan political agreement, corporate and Wall Street support and a transformational issue--saving the earth's energy and water resources. "The green of the environment and the green of economic and financial returns go hand in hand, he says.

75 Green Businesses That Can Make You Money

Sure it is nice to be worrying about green issues right now when some of us are worried about our health insurance, but Green is actually becoming big business.

This short list highlights a much bigger one that was compiled a while back. 75 Green Businesses You Can Start and Make Money On is a much more comprehensive list.

It's no surprise that Going Green has figured out a way to turn into a profitable operation. Just watch any presidential debate this time around and you can see there are more and more people that want alternative fuel options because of gas prices. Those aren't the only ways to make some green while going green, however.

Employees Want Greener Employers

You must hear one of the most popular buzz words around right now constantly. "Green". Whether you believe that global warming is an elaborate hoax, or is a true issue, you aren't likely to get away from hearing about all the Green Projects, and celebrity endorsements of a Greener Way of Life. You can probably attribute a lot of this to Al Gore's low vision aids from his Nobel Prize winning documentary (if you really want to call it that) "An Inconvenient Truth".

Not just in the news, but the average employee is chiming in on the need for a Greener World.

Nearly 60 percent of 2,281 workers surveyed by Adecco USA, a Melville, N.Y.-based human resources firm, said they felt their employers should be taking more steps to reduce or recycle waist. Among all respondents, women and younger employees were the biggest supporters of workplace green practices.

Many employees also felt businesses tended to exaggerate their environmental policies, adding that green practices play a role in their choice of employer. Still, only 31 percent said they would take a pay cut for the sake of the environment.

Of course you have to take these leading surveys with a grain of salt. Who exactly is going to say no to questions like: "Do you think your employer should do more to recycle?" ? Seriously. Who would? Not many. So realistically you can say these surveys are rather insignificant, unless that is you are one of the peopel that don't think about polls that way. Many people do not, and the headline says it all.