Business Opportunities Within the Green Movement
Thursday, January 31st, 2008In our progress towards a world that doesn’t rely almost entirely on fossil fuels, I can’t imagine many industries within the global economy that won’t undergo massive change. A few posts back, we had a good discussion about whether or not people are actually making changes and acting on this, or if they will not change until inaction is too painful. Whenever the majority of our population decides to make changes and embrace a new way of life, and they will have to at some point, we will need an economy that allows us to live and do business in an entirely different way.
Everything from automobiles to airplanes, homes, utilities, retail, food, and energy will dynamically change from what we know now. These imminent changes will no doubt present huge opportunities for entrepreneurs as well as existing businesses. There is a ton of investment already within the business world, but it’s really just the tip of the iceberg. For example, look at the energy industry. For all the investment and implementation of renewable energy sources, it still makes up just a tiny, tiny percentage of the US power supply. Granted, it’s tough for average Joe to get a 25 MW wind farm off the ground by himself, but these opportunities aren’t just limited to large conglomerates. Small businesses that operate in an innovative and environmentally friendly way stand to be rewarded heavily as well.
I know I would like to be an environmentally friendly entrepreneur, hopefully sooner rather than later. As a freshman in college, my options are currently limited somewhat by lack of resources, but I’m constantly racking my brain and researching ideas. We only hear about the negatives when it comes to this situation, but there are limitless possibilities as well. I’ll make a new habit of highlighting businesses that are capitalizing on these opportunities.