Dear Entrepreneur,

This issue of WomenandBiz.com encourages you and your business to Think Green. It might seem that establishing an eco-friendly business is costly and not worthwhile, however, even when it costs more to be green, the gains outweigh the initial investment in many ways. In addition, local, state and federal government have established programs to assist small businesses in adopting environmentally safe strategies. In many cases, they offer grants, low interest rate loans, and other benefits to help your business become green, purchase eco-friendly equipment and materials, and invest in R&D – such as the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR). Once you establish your business as green, selling eco-friendly products, adopting renewable energy, using environmentally safe equipment, having a social purpose and giving back, you are making a difference. The Think Green issue is not only about working towards an eco-friendly business, but it is also about establishing a business with a social purpose, finding ways to give back, and therefore improving the community as a whole.  Our guest writers share their experiences establishing businesses with social purposes; suggest ways to turn a portion of the profits into something meaningful to you and your community; discuss the benefits of volunteering and giving back; explain how you could run a greener direct marketing campaign; give examples of socially conscious companies; discuss how to adopt green technology and a lot more. We are also featuring three entrepreneurs that have established socially conscious businesses: Riley Weston, Founder of Skippy Dog Productions and author of “before i go“; Zena Nelson, Founder of South Bronx Food Cooperative; Margo Wright, Executive Director of Bodanna.To learn from other successful entrepreneurs, visit the Women in Business page, where you will find links to all interviews since the first issue. If you would like to be informed of our upcoming newsletters, please fill out the sign up form. Success establishing and growing your green business, Elisa Balabram
Editor, Womenandbiz.com