Utilities, cities, and states often offer businesses 0% or low-interest loans for energy efficiency projects. This is a great way for businesses to save money while decreasing energy usage and reducing greenhouse gas emissions! Read on for loan details, program examples, and resource links.
It used to be that “going green” meant simple recycling, reusing, and reducing. It was a series of actions, a checklist of to-dos. Complete steps 1, 2, and 3, and congratulations, you’ve gone green! With the advent of technology and development in options and resources, possibilities have come about due to more of a shift in lifestyle and mentality, going deeper than just a mere checklist. The act of going green now calls for a more comprehensive understanding of your actions and consequences of those actions. No longer the simple task of recycling, the process of becoming more green and sustainable has broadened to a shift in mentality in the choices we make for our businesses and lifestyles.
There has been an enormous growth in national and state-level voluntary campus sustainability programs in the U.S. in recent years. These programs not only help universities and colleges institutionalize sustainability principles into everyday processes and actions, but also create a common knowledge pool of resources and best practices that enable these institutions to build strong sustainable communities.
The Social Venture Network is looking for the next generation of innovative, socially responsible business leaders and nonprofit entrepreneurs. And so, they’ve created the Innovation Awards program, dedicated to recognizing the leaders of emerging enterprises. Once these figures have been recognized, they will be immersed into the SVN community, providing them access to a network of 500 successful socially responsible business and nonprofit leaders, investors, and other resources and connections that can help them achieve success with their own enterprise.
Educating employees about energy efficiency,conservation, recycling, waste reduction and other similar measures benefit not only the companies that institute them, but also the organization’s employees, but also the communities in which they operate.
Proposals are invited for virtual presentations at the Sustainability Virtual Summits scheduled for March, September and November of 2010. The three summits will focus on sustainability issues pertaining to the Information and Communications Technology, Smart Business Operations and Smart Infrastructure sectors respectively. Presentation proposals may include new ideas, technologies, strategies, practical outcomes, research and case studies in line with conference themes. All three events are global in scope and participation as an attendee is free of charge. They will feature virtual exhibitions, conferences and keynote speeches in order to save travel time and eliminate associated greenhouse gas emissions.
A recent study by A.T. Kearney indicates that firms with “true commitment to sustainability” outperform industry peers in the financial markets. Companies that embraced sustainability before it became in vogue, now have the competitive advantage. These companies increased production volume while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, decreasing water consumption, optimizing packaging volume.
High-profile leaders gathered to discuss opportunities in the world of environmental capital at the Eco:nomics Conference, and the identify what the best practices where when applying green marketing. The include: looking for the “low-hanging fruit” for quicker ROI, giving customers reasons to adopt environmentally responsible behaviors, making the message personal by explaining how a consumer’s purchase has direct environmental results, and avoiding a hard sell on environmental benefits.
After a banner year in 2008 of investments directed to capital-intensive technologies like solar and wind, US venture capitalists backed away from that plan in 2009. So where are they putting their money now? Where the fastest payback is likely to be. New analysis shows a surge of investments in energy efficiency solutions—such as smart grid, and commercial and residential energy management.
