Market-based environmental practices lead to growth.

The National Small Business Association (NSBA) sponsored a hill briefing today to encourage support of market-based approaches to environmentally -sound business leadership.

The briefing, also sponsored by the Center for Small Business and the Environment and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, hosted four NSBA members from across the country. Each of these members is classified as a ‘Green Gazelle’, an entrepreneurial small business that is profiting and growing in ways that significantly benefit the environment. These businesses typically succeed by producing technological innovations that dramatically increase efficiency and resource productivity.

In addition to the overall benefits of environmentally-sound business practices, small businesses stand to gain substantially. Through the reduction in output and increase in productivity generally seen with the implementation of green-business technologies, these Green Gazelles are flourishing, and most importantly, creating new jobs.

Mark Clevey of the Small Business Association of Michigan provided commentary to the briefing with success stories told by Phil Catron, NaturaLawn of America, Michael Crabtree, IdleAire Technologies Inc., Tim Colonnese, KTM Industries, and John Kokoszka, Vice President and Operations Director, EvCo Research.

These companies offer a variety of environmentally-friendly products and services. NaturaLawn of America provides organic lawn-care products through more than 25 franchises; IdleAire Technologies offers truckers an alternative to idling their trucks overnight by allowing them to hook-up to HVAC units that also provide electricity, television capabilities and internet access; KTM Industries produces fully bio-degradable packaging materials made out of corn-starch; and EvCo Research makes recyclable boxes for use with food and produce.

In addition to the economic and environmental successes these companies are having, they are supporting U.S. job creation – all the technologies are U.S.-owned and manufactured. These great success stories are only a few of many green gazelles in operation.

"The idea of a green gazelle simply makes sense," said Bob Crowley, chair of the NSBA economic development committee. "Entrepreneurs are the logical place to look for the creation of profitable business practices that are both economically and environmentally sound."

Prior to the hill briefing, the group met with Administration officials to discuss the leaps and bounds by which these companies are succeeding and creating jobs. The National Small Business Association is proud to call these entrepreneurs members, their innovation has, and will continue to, lead to growth and betterment where both greens are at stake – money and the environment.