07 Oct 2010: Opinion How One Small Business Cut Its Energy Use
and Costs How significant would it be if America’s 29 million
small businesses increased their energy efficiency and reduced
their emissions? Judging from the example of one California
entrepreneur, the impact could be far greater than you might
expect. Would enlisting millions of small companies in a
national response to climate change be worth the effort? Their
prominence in political rhetoric suggests that it might. Small
business owners are attractive political icons — entrepreneurs
personify American ideals of free enterprise, innovation and
self-reliance. But their individual contributions to greenhouse
gas emissions are small, and in practice, getting millions of
entrepreneurs to agree about anything is like herding cats; we
are a diverse, independent, and competitive group. This leaves
the value of a small business response to climate change
unclear. Actual evidence is scarce. New technologies and LEED-
certified buildings dominate the news