For almost half a century, environmentalists have been
advocating for big businesses to incorporate sustainability principles into
their practices. Yet even ten years ago, it was rare to hear of any business
with dedicated green, environmental, or sustainability initiatives (outside of
those designed to protect them from regulatory fines and other liability for
polluting activities). Today green has gone mainstream. It is big business. A
recent study by The Pew Charitable Trusts found clean-energy technology
outpaced all other sectors in job growth and investments, even during the
recession. A number of other trends also point to the increasing premium the
private sector is placing on environmental outcomes, including the growth of
the market for green building materials and reports that a high percentage of
consumers are purchasing environmentally friendly products. In fact, the Pew report predicts that
government and private investments are creating “tremendous potential” for the
green economy in the future.
1. Renewable Energy Alternatives, Green Collar Job Training, and Green Business incubators
To curb global warming, we need to reduce our consumption of
fossil fuels and turn instead to alternative, renewable sources of energy on a
large scale (e.g., solar, wind and geothermal energy). That will require a
number of new policy regulations and tax incentives to promote the use of
renewable energy by homeowners and businesses alike. These governmental
efforts, combined with general interest in clean energy, are expanding the
market for such products and services. Emerging entrepreneurs can take advantage
of this opportunity in a number of ways.
POTENTIAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
• Solar Installation: Install solar panels or solar water
heaters.
• Wind Turbines: Distribute or install small wind turbines. Example: Mariah Power in Reno, Nevada,
manufactures small wind turbines and is seeking distributors.
• Job Training: Whether as a for-profit business or a
non-profit organization, train low-income residents to be the green-collar
workers of the future.Example: Veterans Green Jobs in Denver, Colorado.
• Green-Business Incubator: Support- first-time entrepreneurs
aiming to solve environmental and social problems in their communities.Example:
Green Worker Cooperatives in the Bronx.
• Expand Access to Renewables: Develop an innovative business
model that increases access to renewable-energy technologies.Example: One Block
off the Grid in San Francisco harnesses community organizing to purchase solar
technology at reduced rates.
• Provide Renewables Directly: Partner with state or federal
programs to provide renewable-energy alternatives to low-income communities,
reducing their electricity bills.Example: GRID Alternatives in Oakland,
California.
2. Energy-Efficient Homes and Green Building Retrofits
With energy costs rising at an alarming rate, many
homeowners and businesses are turning to efficiency experts to help them reduce
their monthly utility bills. Increasing efficiency not only cuts costs, it also
helps the environment. American buildings are responsible for one-third of the
country’s annual greenhouse gas emissions; they consume more than 60% of
America’s electricity. Constructing and operating buildings also takes an
environmental toll, requiring large amounts of raw materials and water. By bringing existing buildings up to current
standards, we can avoid constructing new buildings, drastically reducing raw
materials consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Public and private investors are working to expand the
opportunities in this field further. For example, John Doerr, a Silicon Valley
venture capitalist, was recently quoted in the New York Times proposing a “Cash
for Caulkers” program akin to the successful “Cash for Clunkers” automobile
trade-in program. “Cash for Caulkers” is the kind of policy innovation we are
seeing more of—putting unemployed contractors and construction workers back to
work making America’s homes more energy efficient. A number of tax incentives
already encourage businesses and homeowners to make energy-efficiency upgrades
to their buildings, and more incentives are likely in the future.
Those with backgrounds in construction, roofing, electrical
engineering, or architecture have a range of opportunities to start new
businesses in the booming green building and energy-efficiency fields. Those
with little or no experience have the chance to gain skills and create their
own career opportunities.
POTENTIAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
• Energy Audits: Offer energy audits that help homeowners and
businesses improve energy efficiency and save money on their utility bills.
• Duct Cleaning and Repair: Improve indoor air quality and
seal up leaks, which increases energy efficiency.
• Green Retrofits: Perform energy-efficiency and green
building retrofits (e.g., weatherization, solar panel installation and solar
thermal installation) to help building owners reduce their energy consumption
and greenhouse gas emissions while increasing the value of their property.
Example: Recurve in San Francisco, California.
• Cool Roofing: Install cool roofs, made from materials that
reflect the sun’s heat instead of allowing a building to absorb that heat.Cool
roofs increase energy efficiency and reduce the heat-island effect in urban
areas. Cool roof installations comply with green building codes and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
• Green Roofing: Install green roofs (or “living roofs”) covered
with vegetation and soil. Green roofs have many environmental and
energy-efficiency benefits, helping reduce urban air temperatures, providing
building insulation, and creating habitat for wildlife.
• Green Building Products: Supply green building products to
the growing green construction industry Example: EpOxyGreen in Venice,
California.
3. Green Information Technology (IT)
Computers and other IT products (e.g., data switches,
routers and servers) are essential to many businesses operating in the world
today. Many medium and large businesses dedicate significant space to this
equipment, creating data centers in centralized, secure, temperature-controlled
conditions. Most companies are looking to save money by reducing the costs
associated with their data center operations, which have significant power
requirements, without sacrificing quality or security.
This creates a number of green business opportunities for IT
specialists, many of whom have been recently laid off due to the recession. It
is also an excellent opportunity for those looking to start a new career in the
IT field. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment for
administrators of computer networks, systems, and databases is expected to
increase as much as 53% leading up to 2018. IT careers also provide good
wages; the median annual salary of network systems and data communication
analysts was $71,100 in May 2008. And these opportunities are available to
people from diverse educational backgrounds. Some IT career paths require only
an associate’s degree, perhaps with minimal vocational training or technical
certification.
POTENTIAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
• Efficiency Consulting: Offer businesses analysis of their
data centers’ energy consumption and propose cost-saving changes. Example:
MegaWatt Consulting in Reno, Nevada.
• Green Data Center Design and Construction
• IT Training: Enhance overall efficiency by teaching best
practices to IT teams at large corporations.
• E-Cycling: Recycle electronic waste.Example: Earth E-Cycle
in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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