75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make a Difference. Glenn Croston

“75 Green Businesses is a compendium of opportunity for the next generation of entrepreneurs. Deeper in scope than its ‘green’ title belies, Croston has developed a virtual barrel full of ducks to shoot when looking for new mission-driven business opportunities.”

—JOHN ROOK

FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF DWELL CREATIVE

“75 Green Businesses is a comprehensive overview of the green-business revolution. This timely book highlights numerous ways in which people around the world, who are concerned about the environment, are making a difference. Croston needs to be commended for researching and presenting examples of innovative and credible business opportunities which contribute toward an environmentally sustainable Planet Earth!”

—ELIZABETH ISRAEL

FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF GREEN MICROFINANCE

“Anyone wanting to be part of the swelling green wave is in luck with this book. Since I think the green wave is really a green tsunami, now is the time for anyone interested in being part of the rebuilding of the economy to buy this book. This can be your first step in building a greener America.”

—KIT CASSINGHAM

FOUNDER OF SAGE BLOSSOM CONSULTING

“We are at a critical time as a species, a time of knowing the right path to take yet uncertain how to get there. The world our generation has inherited cannot simply be passed on to our heirs without the issues of sustainability addressed. In the near future, every career, every business and every job will address green concerns in some way. This must be the case if we are to survive.

“In his new book, 75 Green Businesses, Glenn Croston provides us with this ever important direction of how to reach this important path. The book is divided into some telling and intriguing chapters, including: Energy, Waste, Food, Water, among others. Browsing through these pages will inspire some directly toward a new career and prompt others to invent new business models. Expect to see a dog-eared copy sitting on every shelf of the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

—ERIC COREY FREED

PRINCIPAL, ORGANICARCHITECT

AUTHOR OF GREEN BUILDING & REMODELING FOR DUMMIES

“As you read this book, looking through the eyes of a man who sees not problems, but opportunities for new ways to inhabit our world, you can’t help but get excited. Often I am asked by eager fans of sustainability, “What can I do to make a difference? I have all this passion and energy, but I don’t know where to start!” Well, now there’s a much better answer than I’ve been able to give before. Quite simply, it’s this: Read this book, then take the first step. Reinvent the work you do and watch what happens. The inspiration you’ll find herein is worth its weight in gold (and sunshine!).”

—SARAH SUSANKA, ARCHITECT AND AUTHOR OF

THE NOT SO BIG HOUSE SERIES, AND THE NOT SO BIG LIFE

Acknowledgments

This book would not have been possible without incredible help from friends and family. I thank my wife Guadalupe for always being there, my daughter Gaia for her wisdom beyond her years, Thomas Howell for tireless critical insight, Konsuelo Howell for constant support in innumerable ways, and Rafael Petrone, Mike Dunn, and Rob Meadows for their insight and guidance. For helping me get started I owe thanks to Taylor Wilshire, Sharon Wampler, and Ray Smilor. I would also like to thank Karen Billipp of Eliot House Productions, and Jere Calmes and Courtney Thurman of Entrepreneur Press for seeing the book’s potential and keeping it on track. Finally, I thank the many green entrepreneurs who have been so generous with their time and thoughts. They are too numerous to mention, but by living the change they are creating a greener future for us all.

Preface

The biggest business opportunities of the 21st century are for green businesses solving environmental challenges such as climate change. The opportunities are as large as the challenges, and innovative entrepreneurs taking on these challenges are moving green from the fringes to Wall Street, Main Street, and everywhere in between. With the green economy estimated to be over $200 billion in the United States in 2005 (Natural Marketing Institute, 2006) and growing globally, going green is both good for the environment and a smart business move.

Going green means different things to different people, but it generally means reducing pollution; conserving resources and ecosystems; being energy efficient; and reducing climate change. For many people, being green also means being aware of social issues such as fair trade and labor practices. Green businesses ensure that the natural systems on which our lives and economies rely will be around for the long term, and provide an environmentally sustainable world with profitable and rewarding ventures.

The

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