As sustainability awareness becomes second nature in the business world, more companies are coming up with ways to target environmentally conscious customers even if their primary business isn’t making eco-products such as solar cells or organic foods.

The 100 vendors at the recent GreenSummit convention in downtown Phoenix offered examples of the growing diversity: a green handyman, a green broker, a green pest-control service and a green limousine firm. 

Cox Communications Inc., a provider of cable TV, broadband and telephone service, joined the expo to promote its green call-center program. It not only has 320 of its own call-center employees working at home in virtual offices but it has begun helping other companies and government organizations, such as Arizona’s health-care program for the poor, shift their call-center workers to home offices.

Rainey Daye Holloway, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, said about 350 of the agency’s 1,200 employees have switched to virtual offices over the past two years, saving an estimated 2.5 million miles in driving time and $436,000 in fuel costs. The agency was also able to save about $1 million in lease costs this fiscal year because it doesn’t need as much building space.

Companies that have been involved for some time in the green movement have watched environmental interest soar.

Lisa Miller, a Mesa resident who owns the "environmentally responsible" Lady Bug Pest Control Specialists, affirmed that it hip to be green today. "When we started in 1995, nobody cared about environmentally friendly," she said. "Now it’s the wave of the future. It is the wave now."  Her Mesa company, which has grown to 12 franchises, controls pests using natural substances such as thyme, rosemary and guava fruit.

Discount Cab is adding 200 chartreuse Toyota Priuses to its Phoenix fleet as part of a "green cabs for blue skies" campaign. EnviroCar, another local company, also uses Priuses and Lexus RX400h SUVs to give passengers "chauffeured hybrid transportation."

Robert Nelson of Surprise bills himself as anEZ Green handyman because he can help residents with simple fixes to help control their energy costs, such as replacing lightbulbs with compact fluorescents.

And while it’s customary for exhibitors at trade shows to hand out candy, pens, key chains and other things, those at an ecology minded show have to be careful what they offer. Plastic pens wouldn’t be appropriate.   That’s where Wright Choice Promotions of Glendale comes in. It offers products such as pencils made of recycled newspapers, denim and currency, as well as pens made of recycled tires. 

Much of this information comes from an article by Betty Beard - The Arizona Republic

Technorati Tags:  greensummit, sustainability,  environmentally conscious,   eco-products, solar cells, organic foods 

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