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Step 1
Understand the industries that are likely to benefit from the green movement. These include alternative energy providers, alternative power-plant makers, wind and solar equipment manufacturers and a whole range of subcontractors supporting the specific needs of the larger producers. It’s also good to familiarize yourself with consulting and environmental benchmarking companies such as Green Globe International and EC3 Global, which play an invaluable role in promoting sustainability in often overlooked businesses such as travel and tourism.
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Step 2
Once you understand the green industry, seek out its best companies and invest in them. Finding opportunities is relatively easy amongst companies that are publicly traded. Smaller private companies typically have a tight-knit shareholder structure, and it’s difficult to even obtain financial information about them, much less become an investor. Whether investing in a public or private concern, gather as much data as you can on the company’s history, management, product line and financial health and seek to direct your capital to the business you feel have the highest chance of performing successfully over the long term.
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Step 3
Start your own green business. This represents a greater challenge than simply investing, but if you feel you’ve got sufficient expertise in a particular area of the green trade, it’s worth an attempt. Getting start-up capital can be difficult for businesses that are considered risky, so it would help if you had some savings available yourself, or could depend on close friends or family to help you get up and running.
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Step 4
Become an expert on the green movement and publish your own newsletter. Despite the recent attention the mainstream media has paid to all things green, there are still a vast number of niche subjects in the green movement that have received very little coverage. Your expert reportage could help sway opinions while generating an impressive, steady income for yourself.
