Are Businesses Going Green?

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Going green is on the minds of lots of people these days and most of us are trying to put eco friendly practices into place in our homes, but are businesses going green too?

It stands to reason that businesses have a big impact on the environment what with the paper and electricity they use but that’s not the only reason it’s important. You see if businesses go green then that has influence over their employees and even their customers to lead a greener lifestyle and the more people that go green the better it is for the planet!

One would think that in this day of corporate greed and bottom lines that companies wouldn’t be concerned with lowering their carbon footprint, but the truth is that they actually are! In fact, going green can be good for business since a lot of people will patronize a green establishment simply because of its earth friendly practices.

You might be surprised to find that there are some businesses going green that are actually pretty big.

For example, Bank of America has an internal recycling program and has reduced paper use by over 30% (and with company that size – that’s a lot of paper!) Not only that but they give their employees $3000 if they buy a hybrid car.

McDonalds is actually turning greener these days too. Where they weren’t known for their animal friendly practices, they now work closely with PETA to ensure that they are creating more environment friendly practices.

Starbucks is another of the businesses going green that might seem small but because of the size of their customer base can have a big impact. Their recycled coffee cup sleeves saves almost 80,000 trees a year and they also partner with environmental agencies to make sure their impact on communities is positive.

There’s actually a lot of really big businesses that are adopting more eco friendly practices and as time goes on I think customers will demand it so it will definitely be an increasing trend.

But its not just big businesses going green, small businesses are getting in on it too. In fact, smaller businesses are probably more likely to adopt green practices as they are closer to the customer and tend to be run by people (as opposed to boards) who really do care.

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Green Business Ideas

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When someone is thinking about starting their own business, they may wonder about green business ideas. There are many jobs that can be created using green initiatives. Learning about the environment and how it works may inspire someone to pursue their talents and desires. There are jobs that may include fixing up someone’s home, taking part in community businesses or helping out services in the area. There may be lots of money to be made using green ideas and business thoughts.

One idea that a person could try is the idea of creating a home cleaning company using only safe products. The company could have a catchy phrase that lets people know that it is only safe and natural products that will be used in the home. Anyone who does not like chemicals or the smell of it in their home, may be tempted to go with a service that caters to an all natural cleaning regiment.

Dry cleaning companies are known for hurting the environment with the cleaning solvents and agents that are used. Designing a chemical free clothing company may assist people with their dry cleaning needs. Instead of dropping their items off at a typical dry cleaner, they could take it somewhere that the clothes are washed and hung to dry. They still get cleaned and dried with care and at the same time will not harm the planet.

Selling green products is also one of the popular green business ideas. Selling products could happen online or going door to door to homes and businesses. There are many items on the market that have not even made it to the stores yet. Learning how to advertise clever products and get them out their for people to see, could turn a small idea into a large one.

There are recycling programs that go around and remove paper from homes and businesses. While businesses and companies do not have to worry about lugging the paper loads into the garbage and recycling areas, a company will come into their workstations and remove it for them. There are many offices places that would pay for this particular service.

Lawn care companies can also be developed that promise a chemical free approach. Some homeowners want to have no weeds and healthy grass but may not want to chemicals to be sprayed onto the environment. Making a company that specializes in all natural products and services could be beneficial.

Using green business ideas to create a new company may be a great idea. There are lots of ideas available for people to try and use. Many homeowners and companies would like to go green for the planet and learning how to foster those ideas and needs could be a profitable experience.

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