that GREEN blog

The buzz word is green. And you can turn that buzz word into a business. Here I have outlined a few businesses you can consider that will bring in some money and help the environment all at the same time.

Selling Green Cars
No not the color green, but cars that meet the criteria of being environmentally friendly. Are they hybrids? Can they run off of alternative fuels? What is the fuel source that it uses? These are types of green cars. More and more people are demanding better fuel efficiency from their vehicles and just as important they do not want them to run off of gasoline. Capital to start this type of business could be anywhere from ten thousand to a million depending on how large you want to get. But if you want to make a difference this is a good way to do it.

Organic Food
You see the stories on the news about health issues with food. From salmonella to ecoli bacteria outbreaks, how safe is our food when thousands of people are handling it? Organic food offers a safer and more natural way to putting good food on the table. It has taken root so strong that now there is even a certification to let consumers know that certain foods have been inspected to be 100% Organic. This business idea can go off in many directions, from growing the food, transporting it, to selling it at a store so capital here for this business is very broad.

Reusable Shopping Bags
This one has started to explode but overall really just in its infancy. Reusable shopping bags can be sold for any as low as one dollar up to thirty dollars depending on what is printed on them and the size. They replace the traditional paper or plastic question because with reusable shopping bags customers bring them with them everytime they shop. With more and more stores giving small discounts for every bag used this business will go nowhere but up. You can get in on this business for less than one thousand dollars if you find a grocery store to work with and even less if you can find food manufacturers to advertise in a coupon booklet that gets included in each bag when a customer buys one.

Green Financing
Last on our list is green financing. Last because this type of business will require some financing knowledge and course a lot of money to get going. This type of business lends money like a bank or private investor for the sole purpose of starting and running businesses that are green in nature. Capital could be significant for this business and it isn’t for the faint of heart. But if you have a mind for finance and could put together a team of investors this could be the way to go.

These green businesses range from the very easy to the very involved just like any other type of business. So do your homework before you begin, talk to some counselors at S.C.O.R.E, write up your business plan and make sure your dot your “I’s” and cross your “t’s” before you spend your hard earned money.

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Have you heard the buzz regarding the San Francisco Green Business Conference?

Save the Date! The next Chicago Green Business Conference will take place May 13-14, 2009.
Registration will open in January, 2009.

For more information visit, www.coopamerica.biz

Responsible organizations of every type are proactively taking steps to reduce CO2 emissions that can be traced to their operations, says Mark Bassil, vice president of modular office furniture systems manufacturer MAiSPACE, based in Mt. Olive NJ. “One of the more lasting actions that an organization can take is selecting workplace furniture systems suppliers that employ green manufacturing.” He notes that the term manufacturing in this case is all encompassing and is not confined to building systems furniture components.

“From the get-go, systems furniture manufacturers should employ eco-friendly processes that address carbon footprint concerns,” Bassil says. “For example, we use recycled materials wherever possible in our steel structural elements and panels. Rather than pad panels with fiberglass – which does not break down in landfills and is a long term source of airborne glass particles – we use post-consumer PET made from ground up soda bottles. We also use Guilford of Maine fabrics for panels because of their EPA-recognized sustainability program.”

Systems furniture, unlike conventional office construction, is designed to adapt to changing business conditions. “Stackable panel and movable full-wall systems offered by MAiSPACE are designed and built to easily withstand the stresses of Moves, Adds and Changes (MACs) characteristic of today`s business environment,” Bassil points out. “Cubicles from 6 x 6 feet in size to full-walled private offices and conference rooms of any size can be constructed, revised or removed virtually overnight.”

Unused panel elements can be stored for future use or sold for use by others. The noise, dirt and confusion associated with drywall construction – along with disposing of construction debris in landfills – does not apply to systems furniture. “When components have outlived their useful life they are 100% recyclable, including the steel frames, Bassil says, adding that that even the plug and play voice, power and data cabling in modular offices can be reused rather than discarded.

While not generally thought of when considering vendors, packaging and shipping practices add other opportunities for environmental stewardship and reducing carbon footprints. “In our case we offer bulk packaging and other alternatives to traditional corrugated and Styrofoam materials,” Bassil says. “These include eliminating where possible the use of cartons and the introduction of minimal packaging for truckload orders. Moreover we ask our own suppliers to adopt reusable packaging in shipping product. These steps lower the cost of cleaning up the job site, facilitate installation by cutting back on clutter and are among the reasons why installations are ready for occupancy within 4 to 6 weeks of an order.”

Doing the Same with Less

According to Bassil, changes in how people work is causing organizations to rethink their workplace floor plans and operate equally efficient but in less space. “If a certain percentage of staff is regularly telecommuting from home or on business travel there is no need to prove a workspace for everyone on the payroll,” he says. “Touch-down spaces assigned on an ad-hoc basis and fitted with plug-in data ports yield a smaller floor plan, lower HVAC and electrical requirements, lower investment in office furniture systems, lower rent and as an added benefit, reduce the organization`s carbon footprint.”

Beyond furniture systems selection, companies can reduce their carbon footprint by promoting a corporate culture aimed at reducing emissions across the board. A good example is encouraging car pooling and incentivizing public transportation. “Firms should look at life cycle impact assessments of all products purchased, purchasing recycled paper wherever possible, and question any purchase as to its necessity,” Bassil suggests. Other green-friendly practices are posting electronic forms rather than using paper, reading documents on line rather than printing them, using smaller fonts and margins and reusing paper as memo or draft paper when it is printed only on one side.

Other opportunities include establishing procedures to handle the collection and proper disposal of electronic waste and batteries, using motion sensitive light switches wherever practical and fitting rest rooms with low flow plumbing devices.

Go Green at $12 – $15 per Square Foot Installed

We always look to improve purchasing, design, production, shipping and installation activities with the aim of further reducing the carbon footprint associated with systems furniture, Bassil says. “But our environmental stewardship does not impact the cost of our products to our customers, and indeed in some instances contributes to reduced costs,” he says. “Along with our approach to designing and manufacturing modular office furniture systems it enables us to offer our products at price points average 40% below some of the best known names in the industry. This means our environmentally friendly solutions are available and ready to move in starting at $12 to $15 per square foot independent of the number of units ordered.”

Helping business owners and operators make smart choices in Systems Furniture and Office Cubicles for their offices and selecting the right Office Furniture. Systems Furniture and the Carbon Footprint.

Michael O’Loughlin from the Better Living Show – Portland’s Largest Sustainable Lifestyle Show twitters. Yes he does. I’ve been following him for a few months now. He give out some really interesting information on sustainability. And he ought to know… he’s been in the trade show business most of his life and runs the ‘Northwest’s Largest Sustainable Lifestyle Show’ His father Thomas O’Loughlin is founder of the National Association of Consumer Shows and co-founder of O’Loughlin Trade Shows. Why the biography?

Michael asked fellow tweeters what they thought of the article 6 Ways to Master the Green Message by Ethan Boldt, and since twitter is for smaller shorter points, I thought I’d give a couple of cents worth here. It is a subject worthy of discussion.

In some circles, discussing green marketing is as tasteful as discussing funeral services, but it is a necessary part of life. Some people roll their eyes. Some won’t shut up once you start the conversation (ahem) and some give you that glazed stare that says they have no idea what you are talking about. To sell what you have been selling with a green twist, ‘Mastering the Green Message’ almost sounds like you are trying to take advantage of the publics newly enlightened sense of sustainable issues… you know… ‘Greenwashing’ your message.

One point Ethan made that I appreciate..

To Promote or Not to Promote?
That is the question that marketers must ask themselves. The question that does not need to be asked, however, is should you begin green initiatives in the first place?

Good advice, don’t you think?

But one sad point that was brought out, IMO, was what Alan Rosenspan, president of Alan Rosenspan & Associates, a direct marketing creative and consulting firm was quoted on…

Give Them a Benefit
“So I guess my advice would be: You can appeal to people’s higher nature and ask them to support the environment, but make sure there’s a benefit in it for them.”

I thought that supporting environmental initiative was supposed the BE the benefit. But he also stated,

Appeal to Their Pro-Environment Position, but Also Their Pocketbooks
Don’t expect immediate success, warns Rosenspan. “People still tend to vote (and buy) with their pocketbooks. We offered to ‘plant a tree in your name’ if you switched to AT&T. We sent out 30,000 packages – I think we planted three trees,” he shares.

So I guess he’s actually got a real point… and consumers can be wise in this choice to be quite selective, especially where price is concerned. It shouldn’t have to hurt so badly in the wallet to be green. So voting selectively with your pocketbook is smart, selling the benefits of your product/service FIRST, your environmental position second makes good marketing sense.

Thanks for bringing it up Michael! We wish you all success with the show next spring! Feel free to keep information about it posted here.

I am proud to share this with you all! Scott Boboltz HBInnovations International, LLC 517-347-2224

LANSING, MICHIGAN – KTM Industries announces the launch of the world’s first biodegradable insulated shipping container for perishable products, the Green Cell Foam^TM shipping cooler.The Green Cell Foam shipping cooler is the choice for discerning companies to protect perishable products during shipping and demonstrate environmental stewardship. This cornstarch-based shipping cooler provides a true ecological alternative to synthetic foams such as polystyrene without sacrificing performance.

“We are very excited about the market potential of this new product line”, says Tim Colonnese, President and CEO of KTM. “Millions of non-degradable foam insulated shippers are used one time to protect perishable products – especially for food and drug shipments – and discarded every year. We believe this is a terrible waste and unnecessary expense that can be avoided by using the Green Cell Foam shipping cooler.” Colonnese adds, “Traditional foams have been developed to last for hundreds – if not thousands – of years. They’re not biodegradable or sustainable. And there’s the mismatch: the material is used for a brief time – sometimes for only days – and then thrown away, where it will last for centuries. It doesn’t make any sense.”

KTM decided to do something about it and asked a local engineering firm, HBInnovations International, LLC (Okemos, Michigan) to help them design and develop a competitive and cost effective insulated shipping container to be used for single use shipping applications. “This is an amazing material” states Scott Boboltz, President of HBInnovations. “The physical properties of Green Cell are similar to that of expanded polystyrene, but with the important environmental benefits. The insulation values, cushioning properties, and ease of manufacturing make this material very competitive.It offers exceptional insulation for dry ice, gel ice, and wet ice perishable shipping.Upon disposal, rather than sending synthetic foam coolers to the landfill, Green Cell Foam coolers can be composted, where it fully biodegrades in less than 60 days. I would place Green Cell Foam at the top of the list when designing for sustainability.”

Colonnese believes the new product line will attract a wide industry segment, from gourmet foods to biotechnology. “That’s why we encourage companies to use, and consumers to ask for, Green Cell Foam, especially in single-use packaging applications. Green Cell Foam provides the necessary protection during shipping, and can be easily and safely discarded in a wide range of modes: composted, recycled with corrugate, dissolved and even burned. Short-term use and short-term life – that’s a match we can all live with.”

ABOUT KTM INDUSTRIES – KTM Industries is the exclusive producer of Green Cell Foam products in North America. Green Cell Foam is environmentally-friendly packaging foam, manufactured from US-grown, non-genetically modified cornstarch. It is 98% biobased and 100% recyclable as per ASTM D-6400 – a distinctly “green” alternative to more traditional packaging foams. To learn more about KTM and Green Cell Foam, please contact:

Tim Colonnes President and CEO
5597 West Grand River Ave. Lansing, MI 48906
Toll Free: 1-877-938-6738
Phone: 1-517-703-9140 Fax: 1-517-703-9150
Website: www.greencellfoam.com