Latino Consumers Present Growth Opportunity for Green Businesses

By: marcos@gbb.org

A recent Eco Pulse® survey showed that Latino Americans are not only the country’s fastest growing minority group, but are arguably the greenest group as well.  In fact, results showed that Latinos are significantly more likely to be searching for greener products than other populations.  When you consider that about 47 million Americans are Latino, or nearly one in six residents according to the Census Bureau, this is a market that small- and medium-sized businesses cannot... Read More

Tax Breaks for Green Businesses

By: marcos@gbb.org

2010 is drawing quickly to a close and it's time to start preparing for your taxes.  As a green business, you're in luck!  There are many tax incentives, deductions and credits available to ease your burden.  The best resource to find tax breaks in your state is: www.dsire.com.  This is a comprehensive database of all federal, state, and sometimes local incentives for energy efficiency.  You’d be surprised at how many options are out there.  Depending on... Read More

Tips for a Greener Holiday

By: marcos@gbb.org

The 2010 holiday season is here!  It’s a time for big family dinners, extensive gifts, big spending and elaborate decorations.  It’s definitely a period of excess, and according to RecycleWorks, during the period between Thanksgiving and New Years, household waste increases by more than 25%.     At the GBB, we’re all about conserving – your money, your resources and the environment.  Here are our top tips for being a little kinder to the... Read More

State Incentives for Green Business in New York

By: news@gbb.org

One of the original 13 colonies, New York was the eleventh state to be officially admitted to the Union on July 26, 1788, the date it ratified the Constitution of the United States.  To celebrate this happy occasion, we've put together a list of just a few of the many incentives offered by the state of New York for businesses to go green. PACE financing - The Municipal Sustainable Energy Programs, which function on a local level, offer loans of up to 10% of appraised real property... Read More

Local Community Activist Joins Our PR Team

By: news@gbb.org

We are excited to announce the newest addition to our team; Maria-Elisa Heg, a Rice grad and local community activist, will be working in our PR Department. Ms. Heg has extensive experience in dealing with local Houston media on environmental issues. After graduating from Rice University in 2009, Ms. Heg co-founded the Montrose Land Defense Coalition, a grassroots campaign to foster sustainable urban development and business practices in the Montrose area. Ms. Heg and the Coalition have been... Read More

State Incentives for Green Business in Wyoming

By: news@gbb.org

On July 10, 1890, Wyoming became the 44th state in the Union.  Wyoming was famous for being the first state to have woman suffrage and refused to join the union so long as this was forbidden.  Its territorial legislature declared: “We will remain out of the Union a hundred years rather than come in without the women.”   To commemorate Wyoming’s admission day, we’ve assembled a list of state incentives for businesses in Wyoming to go green. ... Read More

Government Financing for Green Business

By: marcos@gbb.org

Whether you are looking to start a green business from scratch, or turn your existing business green, the government has lots of financing options available for Green Businesses. The Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) 504 Loan Program offers up to $4 million in financing to small businesses for new construction or retrofit projects with energy savings technologies or that contribute to the production of renewable energy.  There is also $2 million in... Read More

Green Tech IP: Look Before You Leap

By: news@gbb.org

Green Tech IP: Know the Lay of the Land

By: news@gbb.org

Why does green tech, and the IP that protects it, play such an important part in every-day business decisions? Take the following illustration:   Some years ago, I was lead counsel for a well-known government-related entity (“GRE”) in a “paleo” green tech litigation. Responding to societal and regulatory pressures, the GRE was utilizing a simple and effective technique for removing millions of square feet of vinyl asbestos tile from its... Read More

Green Tech IP: Pitfalls and Profits

By: news@gbb.org

When a major manufacturer spent millions to develop a new, environmentally friendly line of products, this was a reflection of modern society’s focus on “green tech”.  Over and above the improved product itself, the green tech embodied in it was also a highly valuable asset.  One of the company’s significant challenges was to guard its investment against appropriation by others, in this case through patenting that green tech.  However, securing a patent... Read More