This article from EWeek Mid Market centers on ways the smaller businesses can capitalize on green practices. Since most green concepts like solar panels and building retrofitting can be costly and the ROI’s long term, this article offers relativley quick changes your company can make, resulting in a shorter term ROI and green marketability.

They give five ways:

The first of which is recycling. Cradle to Cradle warns against what usually happends in this process, which is downcycling: the use of recycling makes us feel less bad and allows us to consume more, while most of it eventually ends up in a land fill or is burned off anyways. This Mid Market article, addresses the belief that the eventual recycling of your products should be taken into consideration before production in order to allow for more effective recycling oppurtunities.

Second, better management of heating and cooling can be regulated through up to date digital systems.

Third, use automated systems to shut down and stand by computers.

Fourth, the most expensive of the five, is virtualization:

“VMware, the largest virtualization player by far…claims that for every server virtualized, customers can save about 7,000 kilowatt hours, or four tons of CO2 emissions, every year. It also claims that PCs virtualized and hosted on servers can reduce power consumption and cost by 35%.”

Also, fifth, “replace aging servers and PC’s” since newer models are extremely more efficient. This step can cost more but can dramatically reduce energy use.

Finally, they point out that businesses should check with utility companies to find out exactly what incentives they are offered. Be sure to figure in rebates when updating and determining costs.

Also, why not use Green Collar Economy to find green businesses that can help you, or ask another company who has made the changes what worked for them.

Thanks to Mid Market for publishing these profitable and efficient ideas.