What's all the fuss? If you haven't been paying attention to energy efficiency and sustainability as it relates to business or if you have been focused on the up-front costs of going with any of the available solutions out in the market today, you might be missing out on a real opportunity to save money.

"Green" is a term used to describe products and solutions designed to reduce energy use, minimize the use of, or impact on, natural resources, or both. Is going green good for your business? With energy prices soaring ever higher, more and more businesses are finding that the answer is undeniably yes.

Even though you may pay a small percentage more in the beginning to buy green products rather than standard products, the overall savings you realize usually justify the change. Not to mention the positive impacts that green products and services have on the local environment.

Energy Star

For example, Energy Star, a joint project of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, estimates that switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) saves about $30 over the life of each bulb compared with standard incandescent bulbs. Multiply those savings by the total number of bulbs you're using and it should become clear that there may just be something to this whole green thing.

Because CFLs also last about 10 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs, large facilities may see noticeable savings on maintenance costs associated with changing light bulbs.

Beyond these types of direct benefits, green solutions are sometimes accompanied by indirect benefits.

You may see lower cooling bills because green products such as computers and monitors generate substantially less heat than their standard counterparts, helping you keep your work space comfortable without lowering the thermostat.

Switching vehicles

Switching the vehicles that you drive, or at least the fuel that they use, is another way to go green. Across the country, transit systems are deploying more vehicles powered by hybrid or natural gas technology to lower their fuel costs-some by 20 percent to 30 percent.

More and more people are taking advantage of various tax incentives by switching to alternative fuel vehicles. Even fully gas powered models are becoming more energy efficient as consumers demand better fuel efficiency to combat rising gasoline prices.

Power of the sun

And don't forget the power of the sun! Solar panels can be used in almost any climate to supplement or replace the power you get from electric and gas companies.

In the past, energy-efficient solutions were often extremely expensive, hard to find and impractical to implement for regular business use.

Today, that's changed as everything from computers and other office equipment to entire buildings adopt technologies that reduce energy consumption. That doesn't mean that all green technology being explored today is practical for use in business.

Good common sense goes a long way towards determining which are viable alternatives and which programs need work before the technology becomes affordable enough to make sense.

The cost savings available to your homes and business as more of these options become available are making it easier and smarter than ever to be green.

Take a few minutes this week to look for one simple way to do something smart for the environment.

Change out light bulbs, examine energy efficient models of appliances needing replacement, commit to do a better job of recycling both at work and at home. Carpool to meetings.

Here in San Marcos

Here in San Marcos, the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce's first ever Green Living Showcase will take place at the city of San Marcos Conference Center on Saturday, March 20, 2010.

This exciting new event will bring together hundreds of homeowners and business people for a great day of workshops, exhibits and demonstrations and will provide all participants with many tools and resources to help them move toward a clean and green future.

There will be tips on green building, energy efficiency, water conservation, recycling, commuting solutions, alternative energy ideas and earth-friendly products. The event is free and open to the public.

Green Living Showcase

The Green Living Showcase compliments San Marcos' emerging focus on quality of life improvements throughout the community.

Designed to demonstrate what a great place to live, work and play San Marcos truly is, the showcase will provide a new forum where local businesses with renewable energy, green buildings and efficient products and services can showcase their wares.

“Our Green Living Showcase is a forum which will showcase environmentally friendly products and services to the community in a practical setting,” explains Joel Williams, board chair of the Chamber of Commerce.

“Many businesses today offer green alternatives and this will allow attendees a chance to learn who offers green products and services in our area. The workshops will also feature valuable information for attendees in a relaxed setting.”

“We believe that the showcase will not only provide an excellent marketing and networking opportunity for those members who wish to be exposed to a larger audience and are looking for ways to incorporate sustainability into their lifestyles, but it will also demonstrate San Marcos' commitment to quality of life enhancements that will attract new residents and businesses looking at the IH-35 Corridor,” Clay DeStefano, Chair of the Chamber of Commerce's Natural Resources Committee, said.

Go Green - and you can start by taking a few positive steps to impact our environment. As you do - watch those savings dollars add up in your wallet. That's the kind of green we all would like to see more of!



The San Marcos Chamber of Commerce is focused on business - focused on you! Check us out on the web at www.sanmarcostexas.com.