Going GREEN Goes MAINSTREAM...

Gone are the days when the environmentally conscious among us were thought of as tree huggers and fanatics...ENTER a new day, one in which people are beginning to see the value of an environmentally friendly world.

There have been many crusaders for "green" products over the years which increase energy efficiecy, use recyclables, discontinue the use of harmful dyes, and (among many other things) do not exploit labor in foreign countries. However, it seems that until recently (the last 3 years)society has turned a deaf ear to the benefits of going green.

As Al Gore tells us in his movie, An Inconvienient Truth, the failure to go green could result in disasterous consequences for the world we live in. Oprah's website has a list of her favorite green things. Even the Today Show has "gone green" by turning their green room into an oasis of energy efficiency and other fabulous green products.

So what about the average Joe?

Here are 5 tips you can use to make your business more environmentally friendly:

1. Compact fluorescent light bulbs-These energy-efficient bulbs cost less than $4

2. Outdoor solar lighting- The cost is less than $20 and they don't burn any electricity or produce CO2.

3. Programmable thermostats-A little more expensive (from $50 to $100) but they can cut your heating and cooling costs and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 9 percent over the course of a year.

4. Air filters-Change them regularly and knock off nearly 2 percent of CO2 emissions.

5. Electric hot water heater blanket-A blanket costs less than $18 and can cut your home's CO2 emissions by almost 4 1/2 percent.

If all it takes are a few small things to make our environment a better place...then it behooves each of us to play a small part in the larger goal. GO GREEN...not because it's mainstream BUT because it's the only way to make sure our children's children can enjoy our world tomorrow.

Better-Biz Consulting Services would love to help you find some green solutions for running a more eco-friendly small biz!! Email betterbizservices@yahoo.com or check us out on the web http://www.betterbizservices.com for a list of services.