Congratulations to friend and longtime client, Neil Roth, for the launch of Xtreme Green Products, a new line of 100% electric eco-vehicles. The line currently includes jetboards, police mobility vehicles and 2-person electric motor scooters. What an innovative concept and important contribution to sustainability.

You can check out the complete product line at XtremeGreenProducts.com.

Do you undertake eco-friendly projects at home? Well, why not bring those same ideas into the workplace and at the same time, help your business grow?

There are several good reasons to incentivize your employees to become greener. Not only will you be helping out the environment and making your employees happier, but you’ll also be building goodwill throughout the community. As more job candidates seek out opportunities from socially responsible companies, your company will stand out.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, several companies have already implemented “green” incentive programs. Here are just a few:

• Clif Bar is offering its 212 employees forgivable loans for as much $5,000 for the purchase of vehicles that get at least 40 miles per gallon. The Company also pays up to $1,000 annually to employees that make environmentally friendly improvements at home
• Topics Entertainment offers employees $1,000 to trade in automobiles for one with less cylinders
• NRG Systems offers employees who buy a Toyota Prius a $1,000 bonus each year. The Company also holds monthly meetings to discuss environmental and alternative energy topics
• Green Mountain Energy matches up to $10 per two-week payroll period of donations employees make to environmental groups. The Company also gives out prizes like gift certificates based on the points that employees earn finding alternative ways to get to work, such as biking or public transportation

Whether it’s Frito-Lay’s carbon neutral potato chip manufacturing plant, Tesla Motors’s electric car that can travel 200 to 250 miles on charged Lithium-Ion batteries, or NBC’s Green Week, we’ve all heard about companies embracing the “green” phenomena.

So what is behind this greenness? It’s simple. While going green not only helps the environment, it also gives companies the opportunity (when done correctly) to gain additional media exposure, increase its brand awareness, and build goodwill among consumers and consumer groups. All of which can lead to more business and a better bottom-line for companies.

Let’s take for example the construction company, Alberici Enterprises. For those who have driven down I-170 in St. Louis past Alberici, you might know the green story behind its new headquarters, but for those who don’t, let me tell you….

Alberici wanted to become one of the premier “green” builders in America. In an effort to show what it could do, it built its new headquarters to be a model for sustainable design and construction. Besides using innovative building materials, such as a soybean polymer, the Company also created 2 water retention ponds that allow for zero reliance on city water for sewage conveyance. Additionally, the Company went above and beyond and installed a 3-blade wind turbine that sits atop a 124-foot monopole. This is expected to provide close to 20 percent of its annual energy needs. But what’s even more interesting is that Alberici claims that its building costs are equivalent to those of Class-A office space…meaning that it is no more expensive to become environmentally friendly.

So the next time you’re considering building a new office, why not consider going green with those that have proven that the concept works…Alberici? This is exactly what Alberici wants you to think. And that’s how going green means more bu$ine$$.

Links:

• Alberici Enterprises
• Alberici Headquarters Rated Greenest Building In The World
• Frito-Lay plans environmentally neutral potato chip (International Herald Tribune)
• NBC Green Week
• Tesla Motors

As a follow-up to yesterday’s posting about NBC’s Green Week, I must tip my hat to Anheuser-Busch heir, Adolphus Busch, IV, for installing the region’s largest personal solar power plant at his farm in St. Louis. He is certainly generating lots of buzz  around St. Louis.

 As a side note, this is not Adolphus’s first experience with environmental conservation. He currently serves as the chairman of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance, an organization committed to conserving Missouri wetlands. While living in St. Louis I served on this board and can comment first hand on the wonderful job they are doing.

On Monday, NBC Universal kicked off a week-long buzz marketing campaign dedicated to Going Green. The company will not only be pushing this campaign through its powerful TV networks, which include MSNBC, CNBC, NBC, Telemundo, Sci Fi, Bravo and USA, but it will also will be hosting various events at its signature Universal Studios theme parks in Hollywood and Orlando.

In addition to outlining its upcoming ”green” episodes, NBC’s Green Week website includes videos, articles and other tips for Going Green.

Attention PR Professionals: Do you have a “green” story? While you might be a little late for pitching your idea to NBC’s national shows (The Today Show, CNBC Power Lunch, The Big Idea,  etc.), you should definitely approach your local NBC affiliate to try and sneak in a last minute segment.