1. Find a small business In your local area that is committed to being eco-friendly. Why did the owner decide to commit to having an eco-friendly business? Small business owners have plenty of operational problems that demand their attention, so they often don't spend enough tlme thinkJng about how their company could become more eco-friendly. Even if they did find the time, they might think that they couldn't afford to go green. But there are a lot of inexpensive ways that small business owners can shCM' concern for the environment.

Simple things like changing to energy-efficient lighting and turning off photocopiers and computers overnight is a good start. The energy departments of most provinces have websites that provide information on how companies can save money l:fy using water and energy more efficiently. For more aggressive or longerterm projects, small business CM'ners can access the federal government's ecoACTION program website, which contains information about programs that help organizations reduce energy costs. The ecoENERGY retrofit program, for example, provides financial incentives of up to 25 percent of project costs to help small and mediumsized companies implement energy-saving projects.