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I have often wondered what exact requirements make a business green. Even buying products can be confusing. With so many choices on paper products just in toilet paper, it can be a little overwhelming.

Fortunately, if you are thinking of going Green and live in the Bay Area you can contact the Green Business Program Coordinator in your county to find out how to put “green” into action. There are a list of people to contact at the Bay Area Green Business Program website. Once you go Green, you can gain recognition. In this day and age, if people know you are Green, you’re bound to gain more support and kudos from consumers.

According to Green Biz, currently there are over 30 businesses in San Francisco recognized as Green, and over 1,000 businesses and public agencies in the Bay Area that have been Green since 1997.

Here are some simple steps to become Greener.

• Buy only recycled-copier paper with a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled content.
• Stock your bathroom with post-consumer recycled products such as your toilet paper, facial tissue, and paper towels.
• Set up your printer to copy double sided.
• Clean with less toxic products (like Simple Green.)
• Use efficient lighting systems to save energy (try buying compact fluorescent light bulbs.)

These tips can be found at Green Biz and also the Natural Resource Defense Council.

NRDC even lists a mass of companies, the percent recycled, percent post-consumer, the bleaching process, mercury avoidance, and companies which protect Endangered Forests. A few companies that are at the top are: Seventh Generation, Green Forest, 365 Everyday Value, and Earth First.

The companies you want to AVOID and ban are anything run by Kimberly Clark, such as Kleenex, Cottenelle, and Puffs. Georgia-Pacific runs Brawny, Sparkle, and Vanity Fair napkins and paper towels, which have zero percent recycled paper. Their Mardi Gras and Zee Napkins however, have 10-30% post consumer products and avoid mercury. Find it at http://www.nrdc.org/land/forests/gtissue.asp.

So here’s to being Green!

Are you curious on how to get your business off to a good start? Not sure how it works? At the Small Business Commission they have a lot of useful information including how to locally register your Fictitious Business Name. Just go to the website http://www.sfgov.org/site/sbc_index.asp. Then click on the link Local, State, and Federal Requirements.

Or you can go to the Office of the County Clerk Website http://www.sfgov.org/site/countyclerk_index.asp and go to the FBN Filling Instructions. I suggest that once you know the name you want, do a basic search online before going into City Hall. Also, going in earlier in the morning you can avoid long wait times. Best of luck!

I had a conversation the other day that sparked the topic of why people should buy locally. One of the topics we talked about was the price of gas/oil in just transporting goods from other states and countries.Shopping locally helps support the environment as well cut gas use, and keeps re-circulating money. You are putting money back into the place you live, versus putting it in let’s say…China.For a more extensive list of reasons, the site for San Francisco Locally Owned Merchants Association gives a top ten list of reasons why it’s better. This site is great so check it out and keep these thoughts in mind next time you want to go shopping.

Have you thought about starting your own business? Check out the Renaissance Center downtown at 25 Fifth Street (between Folsom and Howard), or go to their website: www.rencenter.org

The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center has on going workshops ranging from one day to 14 weeks. These classes range from step by step guidance to your business, marketing, how to use QuickBooks, finance, to helping with grants. They offer scholarships for those who qualify but be sure to enter in early, they fill up fast. They even have the ability to link possible buyers to the graduate’s websites of the program.

Happy Searching!