Living small oftentimes means living a lifestyle that is friendly toward the environment. Consider small prefabricated homes, homes that are among the fastest-growing “green” homes in environmentally conscious circles. A green home features such eco-friendly things as rainwater capturing systems, a roof designed for solar installation, carpeting made of recycled materials, and wind power. While it’s not necessarily the case that the smaller the home the greener it is, the case can be made of prefab homes built with that goal in mind.

Green prefab homes are built with one essential goal: to reduce the homeowner’s carbon footprint on the planet. An eco-friendly fact of green prefab homes is that they are built in a factory, which means a sharp reduction in the material waste that usually accompanies residential construction. Another benefit to the environment is their construction material. Many are built with sustainability in mind, from “cradle to cradle” in environmentalist parlance. Materials such as recycled glass and reclaimed wood are used, as is special construction for elements such as green or “garden” roofs and walls. Some homes are finished on the inside with special paints and varnishes that drastically reduce or eliminate home-interior “off-gassing” associated with standard articles such as fabrics. Shrinking homeowners’ footprints was the motivation that drove Copeland Casati to start Green Modern Kits, Green Cottage Kits and Green Cabin Kits (GreenModernKits.com, GreenCottageKits.com and GreenCabinKits.com), companies that produce passive-solar prefab house kits. These homes are designed “to collect, store and distribute solar energy,” according to the U.S. Department of Energy, with the help of passive-solar design that uses fewer heating and cooling systems.

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Another example of a company that successfully merges the concepts of “green” and “small” is the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company (www.tumbleweedhouses.com) founded by Jay Shafer. Shafer started building small homes out of his concern about the impact a larger house has on the environment. These “tiny” portable homes come fully insulated with double-pane windows and an adequate efficiency heating system.

Topping the larger end of the green prefab scale, Blu Homes, Inc. (www.bluhomes.com) recently came out with its newest home, the Blu | Balance, an eco-friendly and spacious house that measures more than 1,600 square feet. The one-story home has a flexible floor plan and comes with two or three bedrooms and two full bathrooms. As with other green prefab homes, Blu models come with low-flow fixtures, energy star appliances and architectural characteristics that maximize passive heating and cooling. But what makes this company stand out is its unique home-folding design. The folding technology and computer modeling is put to use in the factory construction, allowing Blu to build quickly and economically ship anywhere, where the home is unfolded and completed on-site.

These and more designers and companies are showing up from the four corners of the Internet. As we move into the second decade of the 2000s, there is much to build upon green prefab homes that already prove that green design can be modern and chic.

From prefab cottages to tumbleweeds houses, home downsizing options abound! Visit http://www.thesmallerhome.com to learn all about the joys of simple living.

Andrzej Kozlowski has written numerous articles on topics ranging from home downsizing to simple living. He is also editor and co-author of the book, “Living Smart: The Money Saving, Eco-Friendly Guide to Downsizing Your Home and Belongings.”
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Is There Really Such a Thing As a Green Business?
By KB Massingill

Sustainability is a dirty word to some business owners. Business is a dirty word to some serious sustainability advocates. So whether you say green, sustainable, socially responsible, or environmentally conscious the idea of adding the word in a positive sentence regarding business or industry can seem counter-intuitive, but like any important conversation engaging in the conversation brings benefit to all of the participants.

The first book that really helped me understand this was Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way we Make Things, by Michael Braungart. You can’t read his book without thinking seriously about both business and sustainability, and the fact becomes clear that getting people to be serious about being green, means helping them understand the benefit to them. Entrepreneurs are fascinated with creating value and benefiting financially from that value, we just need more entrepreneurs to engage in the green conversation, and believe me, they will find the value. That is what entrepreneurs do!

Anything that forces entrepreneurs to the edge of the conversation, reduces the chances of those win/win moments when incremental progress becomes exponential. Interest in green oriented businesses and franchises has skyrocketed. One concept that has seriously caught the attention of those interested in business is that of retrofitting LED lighting into existing spaces. Incandescent light is expensive and energy-consuming. (Notice how I put a business word in and a sustainability word?) Compact florescent bulbs are more energy efficient, and less expensive to operate, but contain mercury. LED lighting hasn’t really been a viable option for years, but beginning sometime around 2009 that began to change.

One franchise opportunity that has taken this to the masses is LED Source. LED Source is a franchise that provides the expertise, exceptional buying power and special software to help building owners, business people, to see the value of doing retrofits. LED Source franchisees focus on the serious business concept of ROI – Return on Investment to help clients see the long term benefits, both financial and environmental, to switching to LED lighting.

Is this a business conversation or is it an environmental conversation? Of course, I am advocating that it can be both, and it can be good for both, and it can raise awareness of social issues. What is your motive for being green? Is it the welfare of your grandchildren? Is it a love for the world we live in? Is it a desire to leave behind something better than they way you found it? If it were, profit, would that be a bad thing? Indeed entrepreneurs are motivated by profit, but if the profit motive creates more engagement in the pressing issues of social responsibility, I believe, and hope that will be a good thing. Engage in green, sustainable, and socially responsible.

About the Author:

Dr. Massingill is a Business Consultant and Certified Franchise Broker with Franchise Thinking. Massingill has started, owned and sold several businesses, and as a serial entrepreneur attempts to help individuals identify franchise opportunities. You can find out more about Franchise Thinking at: http://franchisethinking.com.

(c) Copyright KB Massingill. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Please Note... All links within articles are placed by their author-owners and not by this blog.Products with in those links may or may not be the best in the world.If it sounds too good to be true it could be a scam.Articles are posted for their info,ideas and or entertainment value only.

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