February 12, 2009 Issue
Discover Our Green Future
ASU Center for Entrepreneurship Hosts Realizing Green Business Opportunities Workshop February 24
ASU Entrepreneur in Residence Ged Moody conducted an experiment last year to further prove that American, as well as international, businesses are going green at an accelerated rate. He visited a large number of websites belonging to Fortune 500 companies and counted the number of clicks of the mouse it took to get to their green content. Moody found that, for a majority of the websites, it only took one click.
Moody’s experiment highlights the emerging green economy, and brings attention to the fact that companies are now discovering that green initiatives not only help the environment, but can also make them money.
Most people already recognize that going green is the wave of the future, but some are still unsure of how themselves or their company can benefit from the current wave of green business activity. To answer that question, provide networking with current green businesses and educate the general public about how to get involved with the green economy, the ASU Center for Entrepreneurship is hosting a Realizing Green Business Opportunities information and networking event on Tuesday, February 24, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the ASU Plemmons Student Union’s Blue Ridge Ballroom. Admission is free and the event is open to students and the general public.
Although the event is free, organizers ask that attendees register to attend by clicking to http://webits3.appstate.edu/cob/forms/green.php. The event includes free food and beverages.
The intent of the event is to provide local community members with two areas of information: A solid understanding of the technologies involved in going green, and how owners and their businesses can position themselves to take part in this green economy, including identifying the local resources available to assist.
An event such as this has never been done before, said Moody, who explained that a combination of forces have combined to make this the perfect time for the informational session and networking event. The global sustainability crisis coming into focus, a slumping economy with no jobs, a stimulus package that contains incentives for green initiatives and ASU’s image as a leader in renewable energy are all reasons to have this discussion now, said Moody, who hopes to inspire a new generation of green entrepreneurs.
“In this shifting economy, it’s the perfect time for entrepreneurs to step in and fill the gaps,” said Moody. “Green entrepreneurs can fill in these gaps.
“ASU has been into renewable energy for 30 years, before it was even cool,” continued Moody. “Now, our community is loaded with these [green] skills and that can be an important community asset.”
The event starts at 5:30 p.m. with a presentation from Moody on what is the green economy. During the presentation, Moody will provide basic information on going green, and explain the holistic approach to being green, as opposed to simply focusing on green energies.
After Moody speaks, the event moves into a networking session for one hour where attendees can visit more than 30 booths representing local businesses, business incubators and community organizations that are part of the local green economy. Moody hopes attendees and business representatives will discuss emerging green jobs, green ideas for existing businesses, how to get funding for green intiatves, how to get a green college education and other useful information during the networking session.
“We want to provide different points where people might get connected,” said Moody.
Participating businesses and organizations include Appalachian Energy Solutions, Appalachian Voices, Aquahelix, Blue Ridge Energy Works, Boone Sustainable Transportation Club, Building Performance Engineering, Caldwell Community College, DwellBox, Mayland Community College, MountainKeepers, Small Business Administration, Small Wind Certification Council, SunVolt Energy, T Square Builders, Watauga Green Business Plan, Wilkes Community College, WAMY Community Action, and ASU’s Appalachian Enterprise Center, Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy, Center for Entrepreneurship, Energy Center, Renewable Energy Initiative, Solar Club and Association of Student Entrepreneurs Club.
“We are providing a real mix of resources that all support this direction,” said Moody. “The mixture includes people who are already running successful green businesses.”
The booths will remain staffed until 9:00 p.m., so attendees are encouraged to visit with the representatives after the event concludes as well.
After the networking session ends, Building Performance Engineering Technical Program Director Scott Suddreth will speak to the crowd about how to get involved with the green economy on a local level, including emerging jobs, new education programs and what skills are needed to take advantage of green business activity.
“People don’t have to have any background knowledge to attend this event. It’s casual,” explained Moody. The event, said Moody, is for people that want to gain a better understanding of the green economy, for people who want to advance sustainability in their own lives and/or for people who own businesses and want to go green to help boost sales.
Moody believes that people can think green and make green. After graduating from ASU with a Masters Degree in Appropriate Technology, Moody had the choice to either teach in the ASU Appropriate Technology Department or in the ASU Walker College of Business.
“I chose the college of business because I thought I could make the biggest impact,” explained Moody. “I knew we needed to apply some of these entrepreneurial skills to green concepts.”
Since taking the job, Moody has tried to draw a connection between current green initiatives and profitable business models.
“We live in a money-driven society, so if we look back on green initiatives years from now and see that they made money, we’ll know they were successful. If people didn’t make money on sustainability, we have failed,” said Moody. “I always tell my students: people will make money on this; why not us? And when I say people, I mean people with good values. I’d rather see us do it, than it happen to us.”
For more information, call Julia Rowland at 828-262-8325.
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