My web design company received its first green certification in late 2006, and since then, the movement to have your company or service become green-certified has exploded.
In the years since, I’ve seen a distinct trend: businesses are truly committing to incorporating green and sustainable practices into their work. For many business owners, this is a personal and professional decision first, and a marketing decision second. I think that if you live it, you’ll attract it, and that has been demonstrated in my work as the types of clients and projects we do websites for has become more green, sustainably-oriented, and more woman-friendly (all things I wanted when I first started this business).
If you’re considering getting green certification, or if you’re just interested in exploring more ways to make your business environmentally-friendly, do it!
Find local or national resources to help you network with others in the same mind-set.
Go outside and enjoy nature.
Share your knowledge with your family, community, co-workers and friends.
Here are 40 ideas to think about when you’re “re-tooling” your business to be more sustainable, more “green”, and more environmentally friendly.
| Old School Process | New School Idea |
| Disposable plastic bags | Reusable bags made from recycled plastic bottles:
http://www.520nmbags.com |
| Land line and fax | Toll free number with voice message to e-mail + e-fax
http://www.ringcentral.com |
| Press packet | Twitter twitter.com |
| Chamber meetings | Social media conferences
http://www.socialmediaclub.org |
| Bond paper for proposals and manuscripts | 100% recycled paper + e-documents |
| Paper | PDF
http://get.adobe.com/reader/ |
| In-person meetings | Webex
http://www.webex.com |
| Document sharing with physical files | Document sharing online
http://docs.google.com |
| Snail mail | Digital mail
http://www.earthclassmail.com |
| Commuting | Tele-commuting |
| Reference books | Google
http://www.google.com |
| Plastic utensils and styrofoam cups | Biodegradable supplies
http://www.styrophobia.com |
| Eastern/Central/Mountain/Pacific | 24/7
http://www.timeanddate.com |
| Catalog shopping | Online shopping eliminate unwated paper catalogs: http://www.catalogchoice.org/ |
| Checks in the mail | E-payment options
http://www.paypal.com
http://checkout.google.com
http://www.e-junkie.com |
| Large publishing houses or large record companies | Independent artists and authors releasing self-published books, DVDs, mp3s and online communities
http://www.createspace.com |
| Bookstores | Kindle
http://www.kindle.com |
| Credit | Barter
http://www.businesshelpingbusiness.com |
| Shipping overseas | Shopping local |
| High Interest Rates | Social Lending:
http://www.prosper.com |
| Outside entertainment | Creating your own entertainment
http://www.youtube.com |
| Big Box | Local, mom-and-pop, family-owned |
| Lawsuits | Mediation |
| Conflict diamonds | Conflict-free, sustainable, and ethical
http://www.c5company.com |
| Hoarding | Sharing
http://www.lendaround.com |
| Single use, disposable | Freecycling
http://www.freecycle.org |
| Straight to the landfill | Reduce, Reuse, Recyce |
| Buy it | Make it |
| Paper plates, plastic sporks | Bamboo trays, cloth napkins and metal cutlery |
| Brick and mortar businesses with high start-up costs | Work at home on the internet with low start-up costs |
| Journaling | Blogging
http://www.wordpress.org |
| Long hours, no falling asleep on the job, give us everything | Automated systems, naps when needed, work-life balance |
| Monocrop agribusiness | Local organic farmers market |
| unlabeled GMO | Labeled |
| Milk chocolate | Single-origin, fair trade dark chocolate |
| Commercial coffee from the store | Home-roasted, organic, farmers gate
http://www.sweetmarias.com |
| Trade secrets | Transparency |
| Proprietary | Open-source |
| Only a few Industry experts | You are an expert in your niche market
http://www.helpareporterout.com |
| Members-only | Facebook Connect
http://www.facebook.com |
List your green business for free in the national directory at www.greenbusinesswomen.com. Follow me on Twitter at @monicadear and let me know about your green business!
Monica S. Flores of 
is committed to educating, empowering, and connecting women in business -- she believes in the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profits. She is available for consulting on web development, green business practices, and women in business.