New York SBDC Research Network

Excerpt of an article by Kristin Manganello, To read more visit Thomasnet Sustainability initiatives — which focus on promoting and expanding healthy business systems by addressing various environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors — have become a key focus for consumers and businesses alike. The ultimate goal of implementing sustainable practices is to ensure that the global business community is eco-friendly, socially responsible, inclusive, easier to predict, and financially successful for all involved parties. Because sustainability is often associated with high implementation costs, there is a common misconception that the expenses outweigh the benefits. For this reason, many companies are still resistant to introduce these practices into their business models. But working toward more sustainable processes offers more than just environmental benefits and a boosted company reputation; opportunities abound for fiscal savings and increased profit margins as well. A Pe...

The Department of Environmental Conservation recently launched the New York Green Business program and is accepting applications for it through Friday, December 15th. NYGB is a free and voluntary program that provides recognition and benefits to businesses that have a strong commitment to sustainability. Businesses that join the program receive recognition from the State, are able to use the program logo to market themselves as a sustainability leader, get priority access to technical assistance from the Pollution Prevention Institute, and access to a network of sustainability leaders. While all businesses can join the program, it does have a separate application and criteria for breweries, garment cleaners, and restaurants to address their unique environmental impacts. Applications and more information on the program can be found on its website: www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/939.html . DEC also has a fact sheet on the program here . If you have any questions about the program you can...

Source: Heinrich Boll Foundation In June 2012, heads of state will gather at the Rio+20 conference in Brazil to explore the theme “The Future We Want.” The focus of the conference is the green economy. Exactly what a green economy is and should be, and with what measures and instruments it should be implemented, has not yet been defined and is the topic of intense political debate. Nevertheless, efforts are being made to develop a “Green Economy Roadmap.” Rio+20 should not simply be a repetition of previous international conferences. Instead it must offer a true breakthrough on the path to a social, just, low-carbon and resource-efficient world. The UN General Assembly called with Resolution 44/228 of December 22, 1989, for the convening of the first United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio Summit, in 1992. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was assigned to promote the transition from an economic model...

Source: Government Accountability Office Economic, environmental, and health concerns have spurred interest in "green building" — construction and maintenance practices designed to make efficient use of resources, reduce environmental problems, and provide long-term financial and health benefits. Federal laws and executive orders direct agencies to meet green building standards in federal buildings and to foster green building in the nonfederal sector; the latter includes private, state, local, and tribal entities and accounts for the majority of the nation's buildings. GAO was asked to (1) identify current initiatives by federal agencies to foster green building in the nonfederal sector and (2) determine what is known about the results of these initiatives. Full report (PDF)

Previous Advocacy-funded studies of small business patenting activity established the existence of a cohort of independent, for-profit innovative small firms with 15 or more patents over a five-year period. The studies also showed that innovative small firms had a higher percentage of emerging technology patents in their portfolios than their larger counterparts. A recent focus on “green” jobs, businesses, and technology led to this study of a subset of these innovative patent holders [PDF] . This project was designed to highlight differences in the patent activity of small and large firms in green technologies and industries. Small innovative firms in this study are even more productive, measured in terms of patents per employee, than was shown in the previous studies. The current study finds that small innovative firms are 16 times more productive than large innovative firms in terms of patents per employee. Small firms are more likely than larger firms to have green technology as ...

Many people struggle to figure out how they can obtain the capital required to start and/or scale a business. This guide may not offer all of the answers, but it does provide helpful insights into a wide variety of financing options available to aspiring entrepreneurs as well as existing small business owners. ARTICLE RECOMMENDED by Walter Reid, Farmingdale SBDC

The Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, or DSIRE , is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Established in 1995 and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, DSIRE is an ongoing project of the N.C. Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council. Users can search for state or federal incentives, as well as benefit from other useful aspects of the website. One such useful aspect of the website is the Library , which includes selected reports, technical papers, articles and presentations authored by the DSIRE staff. Related publications that were co-authored with colleagues in academia, government and the private sector are also included. Another useful aspect of the website are the Links provided to National Organizations, Federal Resources, State Organizations, Regional Organizations, and International Organizations. Overall, this is an i...

Lately, I've had frequent occasion to use the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) to search for financial and tax incentives related to energy efficiency and renewable energy. This site from the North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, provides a "comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency." It has been updated to reflect incentives in the Recovery Act, and I feel pretty confident in their coverage. There's also a page of links with the major renewable energy, green building, & government sites, and a library of "green" energy policy papers, reports and presentations.

There was an article in the April 2, 2009 Wall Street Journal entitled What Do Labels Really Tell You? - As Eco-Seals Proliferate, So Do Doubts by Gwendolyn Bounds. From the article: As green marketing has proliferated, so has the number of "eco-labels" competing to be the environmental equivalent of a Good Housekeeping seal of approval. According to the Web site ecolabelling.org, there are more than 300 such labels putting a green stamp on everything from cosmetics and seafood to bird-friendly coffee... Some label programs...require independent verification of product manufacturers' green claims. But many others don't, partly because of cost and manpower, they say. The result: increasing confusion among consumers about the veracity of green marketing promises and a growing sense that the federal government may need to take a stronger role in shaping standards people widely recognize and trust... Some advocating a federal role point to organic food as a potential mod...

We’re all gearing up to help small businesses in New York understand and gain most advantage from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act . We’ll try to keep up-to-date with the details both here in the blog and on the NYS SBDC home page . Specifically wondering what the Recovery Act has to offer green businesses? “ Stimulus Package Has Green for Clean Energy ” from Entrepreneur.com discusses how the Recovery Act will offer tax incentives, bonds, grants and loan guarantees that may be particularly helpful to clean energy companies. Cash grants in particular will help individuals or businesses install solar energy systems – good news for installation and related firms. Don’t forget that small businesses can save money right now by lowering their energy usage. NYS SBDC, NYSERDA, NYBDC and others have teamed up to offer a new energy savings program- get more details here .

Interested in knowing more about "green" jobs and the "green" economy? The following reports may be particularly useful for those of us in New York State. Cleantech : A New Engine of Economic Growth for New York State From the New York City Investment Fund, January 2007 Central Upstate New York’s Green Industry Sector: Opportunities and Prospects Prepared for Metropolitan Development Association of Syracuse and Central New York and Creative Core’s Regional Green Team, November 2007 Current and Potential Green Jobs in the U.S. Economy From the US Conference of Mayors, October 2008 Includes statistics on the number of existing and projected green jobs by metro area. This is just the tip of the iceberg. For more, check out California’s Employment Development Department's Digest of "Green" Reports and Studies - they are doing a great job keeping track of reports from around the country.

Are you doing great things for the environment? Would $10,000 help you do more good? The “ Green Heroes Grant Program ” might be for you. Green Works natural cleaners is giving away five $10,000 dollar grants to recipients working to green their communities. You can nominate yourself or someone else. (On a side note – Green Works is a product line from Clorox, and according to TreeHugger , the line has been “snagging a 42% share of the market. What's even more interesting is that this has happened without eroding cleaning product sales for smaller green-product companies like Method and Seventh Generation. Instead, the products seem to be luring customers away from traditional cleaning products .”

There's no shortage of information about green business and environmental issues. But its not always easy to find on the web. Here's a pleasant directory of " Going Green " resources put together by the librarians at the Middletown Thrall Library in Middletown, NY. Topics include organic food, energy and fuels, and home improvement - areas many of our clients seem to be particularly interested in.