More and more green business greenpreneurs are making money online everyday. You too can make money online and be environmentally friendly without a lot of of effort. There are quite a few sound economic reasons to get involved with green business in addition to the ever-growing list of moral reasons.

Saving money and making money online certainly sound like good reasons for going green. You can look good and be good all in one fell swoop with green ideas and selling green products online. As a result of green business, both our green environment and green economy will result in improved sustainability.

You can save money using less energy and fewer resources in the short and long term. As the price of oil goes up and up over the course of time, the cost of transported goods, yours and the ones you purchase, will go up accordingly. Historically, every time the cost of energy has increased, no matter what the source of energy has been, economies have struggled. It happened in ancient Egypt, and it happens today. By using fewer of those resources, you insulate yourself against rising costs, and put yourself in a position to become the low-price option when the operational costs of your competitors go up more sharply than yours.

If there were a way to for people to make more money and be environmentally friendly without a huge amount of effort, most people would do it. By successfully marketing your product or service as environmentally friendly, or even making the changes in your operations public, it is simply a matter of not having time to educate them on how to successfully leap into the green unknown. While there’s more involved than changing the color of your label, it probably isn’t nearly as hard as you might think to start a green-focused business. In fact, this is the easiest time in history to start a well-conceived green startup with a minimum of financial investment. The leverage available today is due to a new generation of business-management tools, many of which are available online, that can help you.

Image/Photo Credits: Life Ain’t Nuthin’ but Knittin’ and Money, Flickr – uglyagnes.

 

You would be amazed how many Green Preneurs have become successful riding the new wave of Social Greenpreneurship in the US and abroad. Who would of ever guessed that there would be so many successful Greenpreneurs that made their way to lucrative revenue streams using simple Internet marketing methods.

With consumers ready and willing to spend trustingly on eco-friendly products, manufactures of green products are finally starting to see the big pay backs on their initial investment. Certainly, the 2009 economic downturn put a damper on earlier returns, but that was back then. Now, we are seeing an improved economy and a renewal of previous commitments to green businesses worldwide.

It’s not too late to take advantage of these new green business ideas and advantage marketing opportunities. Granted, thousands are joining the ranks of successful Greenpreneurs everywhere. Nonetheless there is still time if you start now.

It seems the most successful green businesses have established a winning Web presence where they offer their green products and green services online. If you look closely at the best of the best within this growing Greenpreneur based economy, you should notice that the most successful green businesses online are the ones that took the time to establish a plan and websites with adequate shopping carts and payment systems.

They were smart enough to seek help from experts before trying to market their Web presence for their new online green product stores. You might want to check out some of these online green stores to see how they operate. Hey, while you are there don’t forget to order something “green” for a friend or relative.

So what are you doing for income these days? Many are still without jobs. Even with a job, how much are you putting aside per month? Just making ends meet? Lets face it, most of us can use the extra cash.

Find your “green” niche. Ask the experts. Leave comments here on GreenIdeasNow, and we help as much as we can. No matter what your reasons, if you are not already into green business, start looking into it right a
way. Green Preneurs making money online. It really is as easy as it sounds.

Image/Photo Credits: Money, Flickr – seannaber.

 

Based on the knowledge that a company’s Web presence creates a strategic marketing advantage, the staff at GreenIdeasNow focuses on collaborating with greenpreneurs that have shown an interest in Internet marketing. GreenIdeasNow advantage marketing strategic alliances ensure marketing methods that are closely integrated with marketing objectives, including a marketing plan, targeted market research, Web presence design and implementation, and performance measurement.

Often with new Internet based business startups there is an over emphasis on using the Web presence to market products and services offered online and not enough emphasis on “presence marketing.” In addition, many new ventures fail early in the game because of aggressive marketing that has been launched prematurely without an adequate infrastructure in place to support the business. The second biggest mistake, is that even with a well planned and implemented infrastructure in place there is a lack of economical and effective optimization practices. That is, search engine optimization (SEO), both on-site and off-site.

In our quest for a sustainable green business, we know what it means to be a successful greenpreneur and how to start a green business. Now, what about “presence marketing”? Check back with us next week, and we will discuss why presence marketing is an important part of your optimization practices.

2010 Hottest Green Products

Experts say it is still not easy selling green. That’s because the experts don’t know what the top selling green products are. Hey, we all can agree it’s all about “green,” right? So what types of green things are there in the world? I’ve got it, green cleaning products!

OK, so that was a lucky guess, but it teaches us something. Make a list of the categories for the best selling green products then add product items to each category. Do a market study on each category. Then, do similar studies to determine what products sell best. Distribution an sales are also issues for which you must plan ahead.

Your Guide to Sustainable Living

Green Cleaning Products

These are what we find best of the green cleaners for use with dishes, laundry, bath and tile, and all-purpose cleaners. Sales on some of these older products has never been better.

• Dishwashing Liquids – Planet Ultra Dishwashing Liquid
• Dishwasher – Ecover
• Laundry Detergents – Arm & Hammer, Essentials 2X Concentrated
• Bath and Tile Scrubbing – Bon Ami
• All-Purpose Cleaners – Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner

Green Biofuels

Corn, rapeseed, sugar cane, palm oil, and jatropha are recognized as the top crops harvested for processing into biofuels. Moving to far away countries where the bulk of these crops are grown to setup you own growing fields is hardly doable. However, there are several kinds of products needed for the planting, harvesting, and processing of these natural organic plants into precious biofuels. Were you aware that there are very few reliable sellers of biofuel kits and equipment for home use? Talk about saving on energy costs!

• Maize and Corn
• Rapeseed and Canola
• Sugar cane
• Palm oil
• Jatropha

Green Gadgets

In the green gadgets category just about anything energy saving hits the best sellers list. Recall one of our previous posts where we discussed the benefits of solar power and wind power as an answer to energy conservation. Maybe the large scale renewable energy projects were affected by the 2009 economic slowdown, however, consumers are always looking for ways to cut-back on home energy costs.

• Indoor eco-friendly lighting systems
• Outdoor solar powered lighting
• Natural lighting for buildings
• Programmable energy saving vents (see note)
• Energy usage monitoring systems

Note: Programmable energy saving vents are still relatively new in some parts of the US. A patent search might be a good idea before following up on this one.

Green Health Products

Everyone wants to lead a healthier lifestyle, and a green lifestyle is a healthy lifestyle. Still, staying healthy and fit by going to the gym once a week does not mean we have to work harder at home. Now, these can be products for making our green lifestyle easier, or they can even be “green” labeled products for making our green lifestyle easier. Guess it just depends on whether you are the run of the mill green business or a true Greenpreneur.

• Water distillers
• Air purifiers
• Grain mills
• Juicers
• Fitness and yoga mats (see note)

Note: Why go to the gym when you can work out at home. Save money, cut down on fuel costs, and stop polluting our air with those car exhaust emissions. Remember, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rethink!

Hydroponics and Indoor Gardening

Green hydroponics and green gardening products are some real hot selling green products these days. Since the launch of a worldwide green initiative, the hydroponics industry has grown. Typically, hydroponics is a small scale business, however, with a little innovation something like hydroponics could be the next big business on and off the Internet. The is a very broad category. Here are just a couple of products related to green hydroponics and green gardening.

• Hydroponic growing systems and kits
• Grow lights and related equipment
• Propagation and cloning systems
• Eco-friendly nutrients and supplements
• Guides and other learning materials

Oh, we almost forgot about images for this post. Here we have not only a talented photographer, but someone with a lot of appreciation for nature, “The greenest trees you’ll ever see are the ones in your mind. All the answers and the dreams will come to you in time” (Red Head Shan, 2009). Living Life by Ben Kweller, Flickr. Be sure to check out the entire “greeeeeen!” set.

 

 

Welcome to Green Ideas News and Events for Calendar Week 24, featuring news and events from The Washington Post, Reuters, The Huffington Post, and more. Be sure to share this post with your friends. It only takes a minute or two to use the “Share This” button, which is located at the bottom-left corner of the article for your convenience.

FEATURED

Anti-BP Art: The Best Visual Jabs To Come From The Oil Spill (PICTURES)

McGlynn writes “The Gulf oil spill has left people angry and frustrated to say the least, but one good thing that’s come out of it is angry fan art. Those who are boycotting BP or wishing Tony Hayward would fall into the sludge have used their artistic skills to create these funny images. From Spongebob’s demise to an oil-slicked Little Mermaid, these images get the message across with a little humor to cushion the blow.”

Source — The Huffington Post: Anti-BP Art: The Best Visual Jabs To Come From The Oil Spill (PICTURES), June 13, 2010. By Katla McGlynn. Full Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/13/anti-bp-art-the-best-visu_n_609660.html

 

Image/Photo Credits: Shrimp Should be Pink, WikiMedia Commons – Fibonacci Blue.

 

NEWS AND EVENTS

Limitations of man-made cloud whitening revealed in new study

News: Leeds, UK, June 7, 2010. By Scientists, University of Leeds – Scientists from the Universities of Leeds and the Finnish Meteorological Institute found that injecting sea spray into the atmosphere to generate brighter clouds may actually hinder natural cloud formation in some areas. Human manipulation of the climate – known as geoengineering – has been suggested by scientists as a way of slowing down global warming while efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions continue. Full Article: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/823/limitations_of_man-made_cloud_whitening_revealed_in_new_study

 

Image/Photo Credits: Clouds, WikiMedia Commons – Pvacosta.

 

8 Abandoned American Theme Parks “Open” for Exploration

News: May 26, 2010. By Rachel Greenberg, NileGuide – Amusement parks walk the fine line between fun-ish and semi-creepy. Maybe it’s the combination of sketchy rides, circus folk, questionable attractions, and way too many screaming kids, but there’s something a little unsettling about them. Add an ill-advised theme into the mix, and you’ve got a real summer-time winner. Full Article: http://www.nileguide.com/blog/2010/05/26/8-abandoned-american-theme-parks-open-for-exploration/

 

Image/Photo Credits: Urban Exploring Dadipark, WikiMedia Commons – P.J.L Laurens.

 

 

Jacques Cousteau “would be heartbroken” at our seas today

News: June 11, 2010. By Jean-Michel Cousteau, National Geographic: NATGEO News Watch – My father, Captain Jacques Cousteau, would have been 100 years old today. He was a man of undeniable charisma, a man who always achieved his objectives, a man of such single-minded determination that he would not give up on a goal until he had achieved it. His lifelong vision was to help millions of people understand the fragility of life on what he called our “‘water planet.” Full Article: http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/ . . . .

 

Image/Photo Credits: Thistlegorm Train Parts (background photo), WikiMedia Commons – Woodym555. Jacques Cousteau, WikiMedia Commons – (public domain).

 

Gulf Oil Spill Pictures: Birds, Fish, Crabs Coated

News: National Geographic – Latest news and video from the BP oil spill. Full Article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news . . . .

 

Image/Photo Credits: BP Oil Spill Protest NOLA Earl Out Regulate, WikiMedia Commons – Infrogmation (talk) of New Orleans.

 

 

 

 

In his article “Jumpstart Storytelling: A Networking Tool for High-Performance Collaboration” author Matthew E. May credits the title “Jumpstart Storytelling” as a title coined by Seth Kahan, author of “Getting Change Right.”

According to May, storytelling to establish valuable links among people is an important step toward creating an atmosphere of high-performance collaboration. Certainly, the concept of Jumpstart Storytelling can be employed along with other social networking tools used within any business with the goal of becoming a green business.

Source — OPEN Forum: Jumpstart Storytelling: A Networking Tool for High-Performance Collaboration, Date. By Matthew E. May. Full Article: http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/the-world/article/jumpstart-storytelling-a-networking-tool-for-high-performance-collaboration-matthew-e-may

Image/Photo Credits: Key Elements for Networking Strategy, WikiMedia Commons – IDRC/ Telecentre.org.

 

The quest for a green planet leads us to search for alternatives to replace the natural resources we have squandered so haplessly throughout ages of wast and famine. Probably one of the most talked about of those resources is petroleum and petroleum bi-products. One popular alternative are biofuels produced from biomass.

 

FEATURED

Biofuels – The Original Car Fuel

According to an article in National Geographic, “Biofuels have been around as long as cars have. At the start of the 20th century, Henry Ford planned to fuel his Model Ts with ethanol, and early diesel engines were shown to run on peanut oil.” There is no doubt that biofuelsl are a lot more environmentally friendly than petroleum products.

Unlike petroleum products, the processing of biomass into biofuels is a simple, straight forward process that involves gathering the raw organic biomass and crushing the materials repeatedly until all of the liquid has been extracted. Essentially, this liquid stores energy that can be used to run engines, generators, and other equipment that need “fuel” to operate.

Source — National Geographic: Biofuels – The Original Car Fuel. Full Article: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/biofuel-profile/

Image/Photo Credits: Biofuels, WikiMedia Commons – Steve Jurvetson.

 

 

Welcome to Green Ideas News and Events for Calendar Week 23, featuring news and events from The Washington Post, Reuters, and more. Before we proceed to this week’s featured article, take a look at this video

 

 

47 Days Later – From UCBComedy – BP Spills Coffee

NEW, Just Released!

 

BP Spills Coffee, From UCBComedy, June 9, 2010. YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AAa0gd7ClM

FEATURED

Projected range contractions of montane biodiversity under global warming

This weeks featured article involves a research study into the future effects of global warming on the indigenous species habiting higher elevations in mountainous areas. Scientists believe these are the species most likely to be at heightened risk of extinction because of changing climate conditions.

In order to determine the vulnerability of “montane biodiversity” in response to climate change brought on by global warming, Sorte and Jetz, established a “global baseline assessment of geographical range contractions and extinction risk” in the montane for specific regions of the world. The study concentrated on specific species of birds and how the might migrate from their natural geographic locations as a result of adverse climate changes.

The vulnerability of these specific montane species to climate change was estimated by analysis of various factors. Basically as temperatures grow warmer due to global warming, researchers determined that montane species responded by moving to higher, cooler elevations.

From The Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, June 3, 2010. By Frank A. La Sorte and Walter Jetz. Full Story: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2010/06/03/rspb.2010.0612.abstract?sid=93599661-0df0-4193-988f-95261abf8282

 

Be sure to share this post with your friends. It only takes a minute or two to use the “Share This” button, which is located at the bottom-left corner of the article for your convenience.

 

Go green, and save our planet! That is what many are saying. We can hear those that practice vegetarianism shouting “Go vegan!” and “Be veg!” Actually, vegetarianism is very good for the environment. It is all about green health; natural health in any form of diet, exercise, and environmentally friendly foods.

What are environmentally friendly foods? Well, by now you should have guessed, vegetables! A lot of people think that vegetarianism is about living a vegetarian lifestyle for moral or spiritual reasons. To some degree that might be the case. Are you a vegetarian or know someone who is? You might be surprised how many adhere to a vegetarianism lifestyle as their way to save our planet; our green planet that gives us the air we breath and the food we eat.

Climatologists have studied gas particles that are believed to alter the climate on various parts of Earth. In studies designed to determine the Energy Required To Produce a Pound of Food, some study results have indicated a tremendous amount more energy is needed to produce one pound of meat as compared to fruits and vegetables.

Turn vegetarian, save our planet. Give up meat in exchange for vegetables. If the environment does not reward you for it, your heart just might.

Image/Photo Credits: Vegetarian Diet, WikiMedia Commons (Public Domain).

 

When it comes down to green ideas now and for the future, there are few greenpreneurs with as many green ideas for the environment than Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens. Pickens is known for his idea of creating energy from solar power and wind power.

May 2008 Pickens announced his plans for the biggest wind farm in the U.S., which was dubbed the “Pampa Wind Farm” to be built in north Texas. Around the same time, Pickens announced his “Pickens Plan,” which promoted using natural gas to power trucks, buses, and other vehicles to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Since Pickens was already a successful oil tycoon, then, why not solar and wind power? That was 2008.

2008 was a record year for the wind farm greenpreneurs. Then came 2009 and an economic slowdown that caused wind farm installations to slowdown as well. Pickens cancelled part of his order with GE for power turbines. With his order slashed nearly in half, Pickens annonuced his plans to use the turbines from the remander of his order for installations in Minnesota and Canada. That left the “Pampa Wind Farm” to be built in north Texas on the back burner.

Image/Photo Credits: T. Boone Pickens and Senator Barack Obama, WikiMedia Commons (Public Domain).