Summary: How effective would it be to turn off, or turn down, the lights in your business to save energy? Would it cause any problems? Is it a realistic option for all types of business? Today I’d like you to weigh in on this green business tip, based on a local business’ attempts to be more eco-friendly.

---

OK, so not exactly “mood lighting,” but today I witnessed one of my local grocery stores’ efforts to go green – they were turning out lights all over the store (not all of them, but every few lights was kept off).

Would you do the same thing? A lot of green business efforts are done with green marketing in mind – done to convince customers to spend even more money because you’re being environmentally conscious. In this case, I wonder if it has an adverse effect. I tend to find bright grocery stores more appealing – frankly they seem “cleaner.” I’m not saying they shouldn’t conserve energy, but I wonder if there are better ways to do it. (In this particular case, I doubt the company was doing much good – or at least it seemed hypocritical to try to cut energy while they then wasted paper and energy for printing up all of the full-color glossy fliers – which were put up everywhere a light was out.)

Do you think this could work for other types of small businesses? I can see it being a problem in offices where you need light to see what you’re reading, writing, etc. and simply to be more productive. But I’m sure there are office areas used less frequently that could do without as much lighting.

What about retail locations? Do you think it could work well for them, or would being green in that sense perhaps make for a less appealing shopping experience for customers? Can you think of specific types of businesses where turning down the lights (or turning them off) could be a good move without damaging other areas of the business? Would you do it in your own business?

Visit these green business resources online to find out how your business can go green and be more environmentally-friendly.

---

As you may have noticed, green business is the latest section here at BizAmmo. I don’t claim to be the most eco-friendly entrepreneur, although I’m a big believer in trying to be as environmentally-conscious as you can be, especially if you can make simple changes towards going green that won’t interfere with your day-to-day operations. Everyone can do at least a little bit, right?

But today I’d like to turn the focus to online resources where you can delve far deeper into green business issues, with experts who can teach you far more than I. Enjoy.

• GreenBiz.com
• State of Green Business 2008 Report
• SustainableBusiness.com
• The Green Office
• TreeHugger Green Business & Politics
• Green Business Guide (from the US government)
• Green Business Articles from AllBusiness.com

Do you have other favorite resources for green business tips, advice, or support? Feel free to share them in the comments.

Going green with your small or home business can start as simply as changing a light bulb. Find out why you should give fluorescent lights a chance to be a bit more friendly to the environment.

---

Whether you’re working in a home office all alone or in an external office with employees, you may be able to go at least a little bit greener by updating some of your lighting.

If you’re using standalone lamps (as opposed to fluorescent ceiling lighting or something similar), you may be able to swap your bulbs for fluorescents that are not only better for the environment, but also better on your wallet (while they may cost more up front, they can last much longer than incandescent bulbs, saving you money in the long run).

Or, if you want to swap out your entire lamp, you may want to purchase a natural spectrum lamp for your desk. These also use energy-saving bulbs. I tried a few models and didn’t think they gave enough light personally, but I live on the north side of my apartment building, where it’s also shaded quite a bit, so I get almost no natural light to begin with.

My work lamp is my one “bad” lamp energy-wise, but was the only one I found giving me the light options I needed (a halogen with a dimmer, so I can keep it bright when I need to focus, or dim for late night writing). If I ever find a UV spectrum lamp that compares to it for my lighting needs, I’d love to switch though, so if you use one, feel free to leave your recommendations.

Even if your business can’t go green by changing all of your own practices, you can still be more environmentally friendly – find out how.

---

Is your business already a green business? Do you want to go green, but there are certain aspects of your business that you simply can’t change? No worries. Most green businesses aren’t 100% green, and even if you can’t make all of the changes you’d like (whether options aren’t available where you are, or if you can’t afford to make some changes for example), you can still get involved in the green scene. How? By getting involved!

Going green doesn’t just mean using sustainable resources, recycling, and cutting various forms of waste. Your business can be more environmentally friendly by getting involved with events and organizations working to improve environmental issues. Here are some examples of things you could do:

• Donate a portion of profits to an eco-friendly organization.
• Get involved in a community sponsorship (such as having your company participate in an adopt-a-highway program or something similar).
• Make a one-time donation to an organization.
• Find ways to encourage employees to be more green (like incentives to carpool).
• Make a company commitment to making a difference – maybe your company can vow to plant a certain number of trees each year, or to do fund raising throughout the year with a specific goal set ahead of time).

Summary:Find out how one UK business is proving that going green and using sustainable resources is simply good business.

---

Businesses are jumping on the concept of using sustainable resources in their efforts to go green. Green businesses appeal to consumers, giving companies a marketing angle or even a justification for charging more for their services or wares by becoming more environmentally conscious.

Yet using sustainable resources can mean much more than added business right now. It can mean the difference between your business existing or not at all in the future.

Case Study: Faraway Furniture

First of all, let’s have a disclaimer: Faraway Furniture is a client of mine. You’ll notice that I rarely (if ever) talk about my clients on this site, but they’re not only an ideal case study here – they’re the inspiration for the post.

Faraway Furniture creates indoor and garden furniture, predominantly from teak. In their case, using sustainable resources means only using teak from plantation trees – the number of trees that can be cut down each year is limited, and they must be equally restored.

The Benefits

Not only does Faraway Furniture operate as a green business to appeal to consumers (they’re also involved with the UNEP Billion Tree Campaign), but they’re ensuring that the resources they need won’t become depleted, which would put them out of business.

Obviously not every business relies this directly on sustainable resources. My point is that you should look beyond the immediate marketing benefit when considering green business ideas, and look to how these changes can impact your long-term business.

Can you utilize sustainable resources like agriculture or sustainable energy in the day-to-day running of your business? If so, I’d love to hear what you’re doing, and how it might impact your business in a positive way.

Summary:Is green marketing to the environmentally conscious markets here to stay, or is it just a temporary fad? Should your business go green, and if so, how can you keep green marketing ethical and in line with your business values?

---

Most of the Marketing Fad or Fab features here in the past have dealt with Internet marketing and online advertising. This time we’re going to talk about the eco-friendly trend in green business, and more specifically the concept of green marketing.

How it Works:

To put it simply, a business is utilizing green marketing tactics when their marketing message is targeting the eco-conscious members of the target market. For example, a Web hosting provider markets itself as environmentally friendly to prospective customers by touting the fact that their facilities (where your website would be physically hosted) is run by wind or solar power. Another example would be in food marketing, where you’ll find products marketed as organic or pushing the fact that it’s from local farmers (meaning less preservatives and less waste in transporting the food). Essentially, the marketing campaign revolves to some degree around appealing to a consumer base trying to be more environmentally friendly.

Fad or Fab?

Fab – While my overall outlook on green marketing is a positive one (it’s consumer-driven and often altruistic to at least a degree), I do think there’s a flip-side where certain green marketing techniques are simply fads.

First, there’s greenwashing – false claims about environmental issues to raise concerns with the public – convincing them there’s a problem that may not even exist, and then pushing your product as a solution. This is just deceitful, and we’re in a day and age now where it’s very likely you’ll be caught and publicly exposed (and maybe it’s just the PR professional in me, but I don’t believe in lying to your customers just to make a sale or be able to charge more).

I also think the premium prices for green products will eventually become a thing of the past. As people come to expect more products to be environmentally friendly, their willingness to pay more (looking at the items as special in some way) will diminish. However, with the demand rooted in personal convictions, I don’t think the demand for green products will fade to match that price issue – companies will find a way to go green for less.

When it comes to green marketing, the real key is to be sincere. If you truly care about the environment, and are acting out of that concern first and foremost, consumers will notice. Focus on building a more sustainable business beyond simply being able to increase prices or appeal to the eco-savvy markets, and you won’t be setting yourself up for a PR nightmare down the road.

Note: Be sure to check out the new Green Business section here at BizAmmo.com for upcoming green business ideas to help your business (big or small) go green.