Have a business? Did you know that the number of Internet searches on the term "global warming" skyrocketed by over 200% over four weeks ending February 18, 2007?

An increasing number of your customers are getting worried about the planet - and rightly so; our home is a mess. They are starting to question their choices in products and also the companies they deal with. During this year, more of your clients will be looking for more earth friendly goods and turning to businesses that show a commitment to the environment.

The "green" wave is nothing new - it's been a long time building and it won't be long before it becomes a tsunami. Your customers have increased access to information courtesy of the Internet. Just about any product you sell they can research and take apart, component by component, ingredient by ingredient.

Are you greening your business? If not, it's something that you really need to seriously consider; not just for the good of the planet, but for economic reasons.

The green consumer of today isn't a feral hippie, they are ordinary people looking to try to make some changes in their life to be more in harmony with the planet. It's a huge challenge for them because business and society generally speaking really isn't geared to an environmentally friendly lifestyle. Where they can see an opportunity to alleviate their consumption related guilt without too much effort, they are there. Will you be there for them or will your competitors?

Even if the changes you make in your business in the short term are only small, your customers will reward you for it. Perhaps you can change all your lighting to Compact Fluorescent Lamps. Maybe you can offset some of your electricity use with green tags. How about getting rid of plastic bags, or using more environmentally friendly chemicals when cleaning your store? Maybe you can sponsor a local environmental group?

There's so many things you can do!

All these small actions not only help contribute to slowing down the pace of environmental destruction; they will also help increase your sales if you promote what you are doing to your customers. Have a page on your web site about your environmental commitment; the things you are doing now and what you have planned. The positive feedback you'll receive will astound you - not only from current clients, but you'll also be opening yourself up to a whole new customer base.

If you do head down this path, kudos to you! But a word of warning:  a very important point to remember is not to over-hype or make false statements about your green efforts. This is for two reasons:

a) People will find out and any kudos you build up will disappear
b) The process of misleading people about business environmental practices is called "greenwashing". By greenwashing, you'll be undermining the efforts of many other eco-savvy businesses. If consumers lose faith in "green" business, that will directly affect the planet.

Greening your business isn't just a warm and fuzzy short term strategy - it's just plain good business if you're in it for the long term. After all, without a planet to sustain us, there will be no trade...anywhere.