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Going Green and the Entrepreneur

Written by: Laurie Wilhelm

Article Overview: The expectation of businesses by numerous stakeholders - society as a whole, governments, employees, clients and customers - is that they operate in ways that are not harmful to the environment. While that may not be completely possible, there exist many avenues for businesses to reduce their environmental footprint and function in less harmful ways than their predecessors.

Going Green and the Entrepreneur

Going Green and the Entrepreneur

The expectation of businesses by numerous stakeholders - society as a whole, governments, employees, clients and customers - is that they operate in ways that are not harmful to the environment. While that may not be completely possible, there exist many avenues for businesses to reduce their environmental footprint and function in less harmful ways than their
predecessors.

The large scope and vast number of environmental issues and opportunities are staggering. The concerns of energy efficiency and recycling are commonplace and are just the first step towards environmental awareness. The next steps are bigger and more complex: green buildings, cleaning, design, procurement, marketing as well as environmental management systems, supply chains and water conservation. This is the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, but this one isn't getting any smaller.

Where to start making a difference can at times be overwhelming, but it's certainly not impossible. Entrepreneurs are known for their innovation, new ideas, and creative thinking. This is probably one of the best groups to lead the way and make a significant impact on how businesses operate.

The benefits to businesses that operate in the green are numerous. Begin with the three R's: reducing, reusing and recycling. Each one cuts costs to varying degrees. Out-green your competition and give yourself a competitive advantage: when your clients and customers are expected to be environmentally aware, they'll look to their suppliers to be so also. For
the innovative entrepreneur, create new or better products that are sensitive to a particular green issue and you've got yourself another market to sell to.

Even though the benefits of going green are attractive, it's not always easy to home in to the initiatives that provide the most efficient green results. Given the massive amounts of information, resources, and programs to assist the entrepreneur in integrating environmental methods into their overall business strategy, it's evident that there really is no right way - or one way - to do it. "Ways" can overlap and the "right way" is actually a mix and match of environmental programs that complement one another, depending on the type of business or service offered.

Sometimes we convince ourselves that our individual efforts have little impact on the whole. Once we understand that caring for our environment is a group effort, we can see how our own professional and personal efforts really do contribute to the whole - negative or positive. This section of evancarmichael.com, "Going Green", will bring you useful ideas that are practical and realistic so that you can consider which green initiatives are best suited to your business strategies.

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Article Tags: avenues, competitive advantage, creative thinking, energy efficiency, entrepreneur, environmental footprint, environmental issues, environmental management systems, expectation, information resources, massive amounts, overa, predecessors, procurement marketing, recycling, reusing, significant impact, supply chains, tip of the iceberg, water conservation



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Re: 10 ideas to make you money in 2010 - I think Education would be hard to break into. Baby Boomers, Life Support and Trading Down, however, seem like good markets. As for Green technology goes, I don't think the business has to be entirely based on Green ideologies, but rather a business that embrace Green philosophies and use that as a marketing tool.
Re: Are you a Blue, Red, or Green? - Hum... a lot of reds responding... Business owners must be a very aggressive community. Now, I was surprised when I took the course personally to find out I was a Green, secondary Blue. Of course, not believing this, the first thing I did was turn to those around me to get their opinions on my colours (typical Green!). The only thing I can really say about STRUCTOGRAM is that it was fun to explore the depths of my social and physiological make-up... I did this a over a year ago now and still use it in my daily interactions (always be on your toes with Reds).
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Young Entrepreneur Organization - All You Need To Know - The Young Entrepreneur Organization (YEO) is a global community of entrepreneurs. This non-profit organization aims to make its members successful in their business through networking and training programs. This article tells you all you need to know about the Young Entrepreneur Organization, and the opportunities it makes available to young entrepreneurs from across the world. Young Entrepreneur Organization: Facts. 1) The Young Entrepreneur Organization has 5,000 members in 35 countries across the world. 2) The organization was founded in 1987. Since then, it has helped many aspiring entrepreneurs with training facilities and getting in touch with the right people. 3) The average age of the members of Young Entrepreneur Organization is 34 years. 4) In order to be eligible for the membership of Young Entrepreneur Organization, you need to be under the age of 40; and be the founder or partner in a business that has annual sales of more than $1 million. World Entrepreneurs Organization: A part of the Young Entrepreneur Organization, the World Entrepreneur Organization and takes the message of Young Entrepreneur Organization to many additional places around the world. This organization is especially active in the area of education and training for entrepreneurs. Young Entrepreneur Organization: Objectives. 1) To foster entrepreneurship. 2) To support Young Entrepreneur Organization members by providing them the chance to network and grow. 3) To provide resources to its members so that they can benefit the economy through innovative business ideas. 4) According to Young Entrepreneur Organization, you get to share your story with those who have had similar experiences, and thus gain insight into the best principles of entrepreneurship. Young Entrepreneur Organization: Facilities. At the Young Entrepreneur Organization, you get to meet and share views with like-minded people and fellow entrepreneurs. In order to facilitate a free exchange of ideas and growth for its member, the Young Entrepreneur Organization provides the following facilities to members. 1) Forum: Join the forum of the Young Entrepreneur Organization and start networking with entrepreneurs from across the world. Each forum group has 12 members who come together regularly to share their experiences and discuss issues related to entrepreneurship. 2) Mentor: In conjunction with the World Presidents’ Organization, the Young Entrepreneur Organization guides and counsels young entrepreneurs through a mentor program by the best business leaders. 3) Social Innovation: The Social Innovators Program involves Young Entrepreneur Organization member who wish to do something for about social issues. It helps members become socially aware citizens and gives them the opportunity to do something for their community. 4) Marketplace: The marketplace allows members to post business offers and receive replies from other members. These are just some of the facilities you will get if you become part of the Young Entrepreneur Organization. Others, like meeting prospective clients through trade shows, and special tools to network and meet with the right people are also part of the YEO facilities.
Re: How Much Of Ourselves Should We Give Away...? - Fill me in on who Mr. Green is, please.


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