:: Lesson 07 | How to Earn a Living AND help the planet by Andrea J. Lee ::

Lesson #07:

How to
Earn a Living
AND
help the planet

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Dear Joy to the Planet Reader,

Welcome to today's lesson on a topic most people find contradictory, at least when they first hear of it. Planet-friendly folk - bless them - can sometimes come across a little differently. Maybe that's why the postman looks at me funny when I answer the door in my most worn-out pajamas in the late afternoon. (Hey, they're warm so I can turn down the heat, and it saves doing lots of laundry, so why wouldn't I right!?)

Personally, I LOVE generating that 'hmmm, that's a little different...' look on people's faces, I think it's the epitome of cool! Giggle.

But I digress. Today's lesson addresses the sometimes counter-intuitive topic of

How to Earn a Living AND help the planet

It's true! You can be green AND earn a good living! Being green doesn't mean canned beans for dinner every night OR potato sack sheets!!

In fact, put in some extra care and effort and you can even earn a FABULOUS living being green. The really neat and largely unknown thing about eco-businesses, as we call them, is that there is lots of room for innovation and a great deal of unclaimed market. What does this mean? Well basically, not a lot of people are running green businesses yet, and there are lots of people who would like to support green businesses, so...there's a lot of opportunity out there!

Here are just a few business ideas to get you started thinking. And I encourage you to open your minds, nice and wide! Whether the idea be one you embrace as a full time endeavor, a sideline for some extra cash, or maybe you'll get the idea in your head to support as many green businesses - as a customer - as is humanly possible Whichever one it is, fabulous! Go on, read this list...and I DARE you to say 'I dunno how to be good to the planet' ever again.

1. Try a used or consignment clothing store.
Running a consignment store has been a secret dream of mine for a long time. I just know one day I'll open one of my own. In the meantime, I just love doing the consignment store 'circuit' around town. While I do, I take notes on how well the store is run, what works, what doesn't, and who makes out like a bandit using 'green' as the angle in their marketing. The funnest consignment store in Calgary is one where the very hip young owner emphasizes that being fashionable and recycling all your clothes, is cool, and the only way to go. And guess what? Hers is also one of the longest standing used clothing stores in town; you can't help but notice they earn a pretty good living doing what they do.

Where are the consignment clothing stores in your neck of the woods? Is there a market for a new one, perhaps run by you? Shop around, for clothes, and for business ideas...and see what you can find. This is one great way you can have fun earning a living AND help the planet.

2. Try a pedi-cab, rickshaw or 'eco-taxi'.
When you need a ride somewhere in most cities, if you don't own a car (and good for you if not!) a regular taxicab can sometimes be your only option. A pity that other more environmental means of travel aren't more readily available, don't you think? What would it feel like to ride in a solar-powered taxi? How about one that runs on recycled french fry oil? Yes, there is such a thing! (Visit www.veggievan.org to see.) What, there isn't one yet in your town? My point exactly! What are you waiting for? Go on and find out if this may be the business idea for you. And then, drop me a line alright? When I'm in town, I know I, and my many friends and relatives will line up to hitch a ride with you...

As for the rest of you...are you lucky enough to already have a way to get around town that is also green? Whether that be by rickshaw, horse-drawn carriage or even...electric car, next time you need to get somewhere, I invite you to choose a fun, green way to go about it.

3. Try non-chlorinated swimming pools.
Swimming is fantastic exercise, but who likes the itchy, dry feeling that chlorine leaves in your eyes, hair, and skin? And still, people schlep off to the pool, withstanding what they think is the necessary evil that is chlorine. Well, there are actually great alternatives to chlorine that cut way down on chemicals that are harmful to the planet (and to you.) Salt water pools provide a much nicer swimming experience; and there are even pools that use natural plant life to filter the water from bacteria, and hot tubs that stay clean with the addition of natural minerals. Imagine helping people to convert their chemical swamps into refreshing natural pools. Your customers will bless you, and you'll earn a great living while soaking up the sun and helping the planet. For a success story just like this one, go here: http://www.abc-pool.ca/index.htm

And of course, next time you can, try supporting your friendly neighborhood salt-water pool instead of the chlorinated one. Enjoy!

4. Try green thumbing it.
Next time you're at a restaurant enjoying a fresh and interesting salad (is that an actual flower??!) give it some thought...who grew those ingredients? Chances are, if they are in a fresh salad, they were grown by an enterprising local. Why not you? Gourmet food is a lucrative industry, and if you have a green thumb, all the better. Imagine spending the day 'at work' in the sun, poking around all those mighty oxygen-generating plants, with the smells and tastes all around you. Talk about a great way to earn a living AND help the planet!

5. Try inventing some delicious, new, planet-friendly desserts!
Sweet tooth anyone? I do, I do! Giggle. Me and the rest of the world it seems. And that means a potential business opportunity for you! Did you know that the desserts at many restaurants are made somewhere other than the restaurant itself? That yummy cheesecake you tried last time you were out? I wonder if it was a version of the recipe my hubby Mike invented, called the "Holy Shania, This Can't Be Tofu" Tofu Cheesecake.

Well, alright, maybe it's not an international staple yet, but if you're good in the kitchen, why not try inventing a new recipe using ingredients like tofu and other veggies that are very good for us, and easy on the planet to grow. (Any kind of animal ingredient like eggs, butter or milk is harder on the planet to produce than a veggie like tofu...) This is a truly wonderful possible sideline to earn a living with, even if you don't go for it full time...and...because we ALL eat, and we like to enjoy our food, there's almost no better way to help the planet than through our stomachs! Oh yes, Mike's tofu cheesecake? You guessed it.....tastes nothing like tofu. Yay!

So... is the possibility of earning a living through a green business getting those thoughts going yet? Were you able to catch some tips on how to support the eco-businesses already in existence around you? Good stuff!

I hope you have fun experimenting with these tips and coming up with your own. In fact, send them along to andrea@joytotheplanet.com, and I'll find room for them in an upcoming lesson of Joy to the Planet. It'll be fun to share your ideas about how to enjoy life...and help the planet.

One last thing. If you know someone who is 'green', and you have a hunch, just an inkling, that they may think being green means being financially poorly off, or are somehow holding themselves back when it comes to earning a great living, send them to me, will you, and I'll spank them! Giggle. Just kidding, but really, please share this lesson with them. As Joy to the Planet evolves, I plan to share more about things to do in life that are fun and rewarding, in both work and play, AND help the planet, so spread the word!

Thanks for joining me for this lesson of Joy to the Planet. Let me leave you with one of my favorite 'green' photos. I call it 'How to Do Dishes...AND help the planet!'

Until next week, I'm signing off to enjoy life and help the planet...what about you?

My best,

Andrea Lee
andrea@joytotheplanet.com