Caring for the planet isn’t just for tree huggers anymore. Green is going mainstream. And growing markets for green services and products reflect that attitude. Green is good business meeting good values.

But let’s be frank. If it doesn’t save much money, many companies won’t put going green at the top of their priority lists.

– Green Means Opportunity –
This green movement is just beginning to gain real momentum. It means a change in the way we are doing business, but as important, it is also creating opportunities. The market is now reflecting the belief that saving our green planet can also help generate another kind of green – $$$ – money. When you do good, you do well.

Innovative companies are already doing just that. They’re profiting and gaining decisive competitive advantage – and their leaders and employees are feeling better about what they do, too. Leaders of these companies are thinking holistically. They see the responsibility and opportunity of green going beyond the products or services they offer, and extending into their overall business processes..

They seek like-minded business with which to work. This presents considerable opportunity for companies offering support services and products. For example:

– Green Internet Design and Support Service –
A local web designer has found ways to increase the green benefits of the Internet. Idelle Fisher of IJ Design (www.ijdesign.com) specializes in green web and graphic design. She says, “Using the Internet is a great way to be green. Websites provide a way to become paper free and provide clients with up-to-date information.” IJ Design has taken that concept a step further by setting up client websites with a green web hosting company, which is 100% solar powered. “This wasn’t available until recently,” states Fisher. “Now we can run on the sun.”

– Green Communication –
Leslie Fera, principal of Connexion Creative (go to www.connexioncreative.com), a green design and marketing firm, says, “We try to get creative in terms of delivering the message. It takes a lot more time and leg work, but we’ve found that the challenge of finding more sustainable delivery methods has led to innovative solutions that get noticed.” Connexion Creative recently created a USB wristband loaded with information for conference attendees. The promo item was well received and saved exhibitors, attendees and conference planners from dealing with huge amounts of paper. It was a great success.

In terms of delivery, Connexion Creative now works only with printers that are FSC certified and use PCW recycled paper and soy or vegetable-based inks. Additionally, they have increased their digital design team and look for alternative ways to deliver messaging, such as online, on USB drives, in alternative packaging, etc.

Whether you are passionate about working toward a sustainable future, pragmatic about saving your company some green $$, or determined to generate a new stream of revenue, green means green.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 15th, 2008 at 3:02 pm and is filed under Green Meetings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.