Seven Green business ideas: A new wave of social entrepreneurship

Many aspiring entrepreneurs are looking forward to developing green ways to save energy consumption and save the environment.

Let’s face it: More pollution and the exploitation of natural resources have a negative impact on the climatic cycles. It is leading to the systematic dismantling of the environment. The unsustainable lifestyle of the people has added more to this problem.

Fact check: As per a UN report, nearly 98% of the cities with more than 1 lakh inhabitants come under the air quality guidelines of the World Health Organization.

However, many aspiring entrepreneurs are looking forward to developing green ways to save energy consumption and save the environment. For this reason, green business ideas are picking up the pace right now.

Today, even the customers are ready to pay more for green/sustainable products or services. All this helps in making a positive impact on the environment.

Are you the one who wants to change the world by having a business that also makes money? Welcome to the right place. Here we have come up with green ideas to bring a new wave of social entrepreneurship. Without further ado, read ahead and fetch yourself with all the answers.

Ecological disposables – Environmental degradation has seen an increase in recent years. And it is a huge concern, globally. To reduce pollution, ecological or environmentally-friendly disposables are actually a good idea. Your customers can throw away these disposables after using them, and it causes no harm to the environment.

They are pure, biodegradable, decompose faster, and ultimately don’t contribute to any environmental pollution. The world is facing a global climate change emergency, and you can’t afford to pollute the environment at this time. Right? So, tackle the climate changes with ecological disposables.



Dry cleaning and ecological laundry – In this busy world, only a few people have the time to really dry clean their clothes. For this reason, you can start with the dry cleaning services at the street level. And if you use machinery that uses less water (nearly 20% less than the traditional dry cleaning machines) and biodegradable detergents, you are helping the environment.

With the use of sustainable equipment, you can reduce not only the electricity consumption but also your fixed expenses. Therefore starting dry cleaning and ecological laundry services might help you to stand out from the rest.

Organic crops – Organic farming has taken the world by storm. And many small producers are joining the world of organic markets. What you can do here is – you can begin your own cultivation of vegetables and ornamental plants, starting with an area of just 5m2. Or you could also start selling grains like wheat, rice, barley, etc.

For this, you will need to store grains in a safer place. So, you can look for small grain bins for sale and make this green idea work. Additionally, you need to know several cultivation methods like hydroponics or gardening. And also gain knowledge of plant nutrition and pest control.

Now, you can sell these grains, vegetables, or plants in the local market or supply centers. Investing at least 20 minutes a day for every square meter you plant can do wonders for you. Also, do not forget to market your products in the end.

Solar panels – Many consumers are moving towards installing solar panels on their homes to save energy and to save the environment. Hence, here comes the next green idea – giving the opportunity to the people to have a solar panel at their homes.

Furthermore, it will mitigate air pollution, slow down climate change, and lower down the consumption of fossil fuel. And who would not like to contribute towards environmental safety?



Green walls – Nowadays, having green walls is a rising new trend. Having green walls means incorporating living nature into the urban environment. It gives a much appealing look to the walls and serves other benefits as well. They come to fulfill various purposes like for indoors, for outdoors, or the varieties are endless. This business requires placing natural plants on the interiors and exterior walls of an office or home, among others. It is worth noting that preparing the walls with a coating is necessary to avoid humidity and the generation of insects.

You will also need to take care of the installation of the hoses for the self-watering of the wall. Ask the customers to keep in check the maintenance of the vertical garden during the first three months. This will ensure them if the plants are growing correctly.

Bicycle repair and refurbishing – Not to mention that the carbon footprint is increasing at a rapid speed. So, it is beneficial for the environment to go on a bicycle to cover short distances instead of driving a two/four-wheeler.

You could be the expert cyclists where people can come to get their bicycles repaired as sometimes bicycles also need a tune-up. Or there is another way round. How about purchasing the older bikes at a reasonable cost and fixing and selling them up at a profit? This green idea will definitely work well for you.

Gas savers – There is no doubt that gasoline and electricity prices will continue to rise in the future. How can you help the citizens facing this issue? You can give them a discount on opting for the facility of the installation of the gas savers. This will allow them to save at least 12-15% on the regular consumption of gasoline.

The equipment for this purpose is installed in hoses or tubes to pass through wiring in less than 10 minutes. Start offering these services to the relatives and then expand your reach to schools and restaurants.

To sum it all up

It is needless to say that going green has immense possibilities in terms of delivering something better to the environment. Moreover, it makes our planet a safer place to live in and caters to the needs of the growing market. You do not want to deteriorate the quality of the environment as it is said by George Holland – “Where the quality of life goes down for the environment, the quality of life goes down for humans.”

So, protect it with all the great business ideas that you can, and you will experience a fresh and green planet.



Green business ideas for startup entrepreneurs

There are several ways on how you can start your own eco-friendly business, depending on your interest and funds.

To help mother Earth and turn it into a business is an excellent advocacy to start a business with. It is a promising niche, since more people are becoming conscious of environmental changes, the waste produced, and how they could be a part of the solution. In fact, many consumers are willing to pay extra for a product or advocacy they support.

There are several ways on how you can start your own eco-friendly business, depending on your interest and funds. So whether you’re environmentally-conscious or simply passionate about using sustainable materials and methods, here is a list of green business ideas that startup entrepreneurs can venture.

Organic Food

Organic food is grown without the use of synthetic chemicals. With today’s rise in obesity and lifestyle diseases, people are becoming more conscious of their food choices. If you can grow food in your home, you can start by selling it to family and friends, then consider expanding to a stall or store with other product variants.

Eco Restaurants

Restaurants who practice Farm to Table (greens) or Farm to Fork (meat) source their ingredients from local farmers and hoggers, guaranteeing freshness. It also helps small-scale entrepreneurs and producers cut down on extra costs on transportation and storage fees.



Organic Body Products

Our skin is the largest organ of our body, and we use different products for our hair, face, body. In addition to the chemicals present in our surroundings and the food that we eat, these chemicals, despite being present in small amounts, can build up inside our bodies over time. Ingredients commonly included in products are parabens, fragrances, artificial colors, and alcohols, giving scent, improving the appearance, and prolonging shelf life. Using organic body products minimizes irritation and is less likely to trigger allergies and other skin conditions. Moreover, the ingredients are grown and produced using sustainable practices.

Green House Cleaners and Soaps

Cleaning supplies generally have numerous chemicals which can be harmful when inhaled or absorbed by the skin. Some of the best ingredients with antibacterial properties are common ingredients we can find in the kitchen. Instead, you can substitute synthetic chemicals with natural materials such as white vinegar, baking soda, and lemon, to name a few. The good thing about it is it does not involve complicated chemistry and machines and is safe for kids and people with health conditions.

Recycled Crafts and Household Items

Recycling different materials for crafts just needs a little bit of creativity. Instead of buying, consider the repurposing items, such as bottle caps, egg trays, empty cans. You can get these items almost for free, and you can decide how to redesign them so you can make them into something useful.



Pre-loved Items

The culture of consumerism leads to people purchasing items that exceed their needs. In many people, buying things became a form of therapy, known as retail therapy. Not only does this give us a false sense of happiness, but it also contributes to the growing pollution produced in manufacturing these items. Buying second-hand items not only spare you money but helps reduce items wasted in landfills as well.

Eco-Friendly Fashion

Next to oil, the fashion industry is the largest polluter in the world. Since textile production and disposal require lots of energy and resources, it leaves an enormous environmental footprint. In addition, the rise of fast fashion left tons of unused clothes and cutouts to end up in the dumpsters.

Making clothes from sustainable materials such as natural fibers—organic/ recycled cotton and synthetic vegan fabrics can be pretty costly compared to fast fashion retailers. The materials used contain little to no chemicals, so they decompose naturally.

Upcycling Furniture

Depending on durability and size, the construction of a piece of furniture needs several materials. The most common material used is wood. Unfortunately, we know that we cut down trees faster than we can grow them, posing a significant problem for our forests. As a furniture seller, you can reduce this negative impact by utilizing old or scrap pieces and using other recycling materials during construction and assembly.

Composter

Composting is simple and cheap; all you need is three materials—browns, greens, and water. The browns include dead leaves, branches, and twigs, and the greens can be vegetable waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds. Since composting requires a decent amount of area to mix and store, it is ideal to have space outside with open air. It’s a little to no-cost investment, since these are materials that often end up in our trash cans. The finished product can be sold to local plant growers and gardeners.

Green Vlogging & Content Creation

The popularity of video content paved new opportunities for social media influencers.

For entrepreneurs that are more focused on writing, you can start a blog about environmental topics and then make money through advertising or selling green products of some kind.

Solar Panel Installation

With the rise of electricity consumption, there is an increased interest in harnessing renewable sources of energy. The initial installation of solar panels may be costly, but it can help reduce pollution, mainly from fossil fuels, and significantly reduce electricity bills.

If you’re starting and profit from a project basis only, consider a new face of the workforce, where you can hire people only when needed. It can save you the costs of employing full-time for seasonal work.



Green Architecture

Involves designing new homes or buildings using methods that advocate sustainability and energy conservation. It also aims to minimize the harmful effects of the construction project on both human and environmental health. Depending on the project scale, consider the types of materials used, location, timeline, and how to pay contractors.

Bottom line

The improvements in technology and industrialization resulted in massive waste by-products, and we are starting to feel the effects of climate change. For example, the increase in global temperature causes iceberg meltdown in the polar regions, leads to coastal flooding; the frequency of wildfires and increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere all contribute to the rise in temperature. Pollution ultimately affects our health and food supply. As our global population rapidly grows and is expected to balloon over the next few years, all of us need to take part in preserving our planet for the next generations to come.

About the Author:

Bash Sarmiento is a writer and an educator from Manila. He writes laconic pieces in the education, lifestyle, and health realms. His academic background and extensive experience in teaching, textbook evaluation, business management, and traveling are translated into his works.

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