10 Green Ideas to Start Your Own Eco-friendly Business

Are you thinking about starting your own business but have no idea what it should be? May we suggest ecopreneurship? With growing concern for the protection of the environment and natural resources, more and more businesses, and their customers, are going green. If you are a nature-conscious person, there are many eco-friendly alternatives to standard products and services that you could easily turn into a profitable business, like these examples from Lux Chix.

Related Article: 5 Easy Ways to Green Your Business

1. Run an organic farm

With the ongoing movement of healthy lifestyles, organically grown fruits and vegetables are in high demand. They can be sold to wholesale markets, retail stores or restaurants. If you love working outdoors, and you (possibly) own a piece of land, organic farming might be just your thing.

2. Produce compost

If you don’t have green fingers, but still have a corner of your yard to spare, try selling compost. It’s particularly lucrative in urban areas where local gardeners are in need of natural fertilizers but have gardens too small to make their own compost. Keep in mind, though, that compost is made of food scraps and plant residue, so it can get a little messy.

3. Upcycle

Furniture upcycling is the latest trend in the green industry. Any piece of old furniture can be repurposed and put to good use, with some power tools and a little bit of imagination, like these 30 ideas from ViralNova. If you have a couch or some chairs that have been laying around the house waiting to be thrown away, with some touch-ups and refurbishing, you can easily make money from them.

4. Fashion recycling

Start collecting unwanted clothes and textile scraps, customize them, and create your own eco brand. Second-hand shops and textile factories are a great source of cheap raw materials for your new business. Some textile factories even give away their textile surpluses.

5. Recycling pickup

How many times have you wondered what to do with unwanted electronic devices and batteries? Rubbish removal services are in demand, especially those that offer e-waste removal. Picking up old TVs and broken laptops, and selling them to local electronic recycling plants is a very profitable and environmentally friendly business.

6. Green consulting

If you hold a degree in environmental sciences, you can become a certified eco-consultant. Help other businesses that are looking to cut down on energy consumption or turn to a more sustainable production. Your job would be to evaluate their current business practice and draft business plans that offer more energy-efficient solutions.

7. Bicycle business

Cycling is as environmentally friendly as can be. Bicycle café franchises are a huge thing nowadays. In addition to selling hot drinks, you can be the local go-to bicycle repairman. Also, you can earn some extra profit by buying old bicycles, fixing them up and reselling them. Or offer bicycle sightseeing tours to tourists-cyclists.

8. Eco-cleaning

Start a cleaning services business which uses only approved all-natural cleaning products. Expand the business by starting your own eco-friendly products line. You can later even sell these products to households and other cleaning business.

9. Develop green applications

This is a perfect solution for tech-savvy entrepreneurs. The applications may range from simple guides to local green businesses, to complex activity trackers that will help people learn how to reduce their energy consumption.

10. Green blogging

Make money by promoting green activities. Selling ad-space or banners to local eco businesses is just one way to make profit from a blog. Search the Internet for some more tips.

Have you already decided what green business you are going to start?

Author: Lana Hawkins is a student of architecture from Sydney, Australia. She writes about landscaping and interior design, and is especially interested in sustainable architecture and ecology. Successful green businesses such as rubbish removal services in Sydney inspired her to write about ecopreneurship. In her free time, Lana loves cooking for her friends and family.