Going green is very attractive to your customers and helpful to your business. Only a few businesses, like wind mill production and solar energy panel businesses can claim that environmentalism is their sole reason for being. Even these have to deal with issues of pricing and convenience. Other businesses are getting on the green wagon, and it has become a top priority in marketing. Businesses as diverse as printing, agriculture, and car repair are letting their green flag fly. In general  let’s look at what makes a green business. Green businesses monitor and record their rate of water and energy consumption and their impact of the environment. They carefully manage their solid and hazardous wastes and increase material recycling. 

     Have constant initiatives involving your employees in maintaining green standards. Let your customers know that you are environmentally conscious. This can be important, both in getting customer support and even acknowledging service problems due to strictly adhering to green environmental standards. Finally, different towns and counties, in the San Francisco Bay , California area, have urged green business to help other businesses get with the green program.

Paul T. in New York, New York is a distributor of organic agricultural products. He and his company look at different ways to emphasize their “greenness.” Boxes are used that are made up of only post consumer waste. Products are imported from over a dozen countries, all certified organic produce. For example, cherry farmers in Spain have a government certified, no pesticides organic program, with participants like the “El Navazo” orchard; see http://cherrita.blogspot.com/ . It can be surprising to people that an Auto Repair shop can be certified Green. Jerry G. owns a car repair shop in Stockton, California and has been greening his business. He found out that while some hazardous waste programs for auto shops can cost over $1,000 a month, other help and advice is low-cost or free. Check your local government for assistance. Basic common sense practices are adopted for recycling things like fuel oil and other hazardous wastes. Each state and some local governments have guidelines for environmental regulations. Some long time practices have to be changed, like using water based solvents as much as possible, not naphtha solvents. Recycle materials as you go, and gather them in separate containers, including glass, cardboard and plastics. Energy conservation practices are important too, such as switching to fluorescent bulbs and using sensors to shut off unused rooms, such as wash rooms after a minimal amount of time. Water conservation can be difficult. If you are really in the car wash business, you need to have a full scale recycling of wash-water. Otherwise, you are better off sending the cars to the eco-car wash down the road, or only giving cars a light rinse.

     Another green business, this time a hotel, is the Garrat Mansion, which in May 2000, was certified an Alameda County California, Green Business. See http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/825 . The seven room bed and breakfast has an innkeeper, who practices energy and water conservation, among other green practices involving cleaning chemicals and waste recycling. Green practices in a hotel, especially a larger one can be difficult. However, if one thinks about pollution prevention and water and energy conservation, surprising results can be obtained. The key thing is to monitor water, and energy use. That way, you can quickly know about or find out about leakages of water or bad energy conservation practices. Anything from bad insulation to leaking pipes has to be found out about and fixed. As in the auto repair shop, cleaners and solvents are key. Look at what paints and floor and cabinet finishers you are using. Are you using the safest, most soluble products? Can you avoid aerosols, small sizes of cleaners with excess packaging and the like? A clean environment can also be a safe and organic one.

     If you use products in bulk, they are usually cheaper and you save waste through excess use of packaging materials.  Try to use products made from recycled material, such as recycled packaging and construction materials using recycled materials. Don’t be afraid to encourage your guests to put trash in separate containers for bottles, cans, plastic, cardboards and other waste. Get your employees to join the act, and allow them to make environmentally friendly suggestions. Recycle used and discarded furniture, silverware and bedding. With the new bulb sized fluorescent bulbs, you can save energy without sacrificing necessary lighting by using these mini-fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs. Get the most energy efficient electrical, air conditioning, refrigeration, and washing and drying.