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State, UNH launch Green Launching Pad for commercial environmental projects

 
 
The University of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning have just announced a new initiative, The Green Launching Pad, designed to use UNH resources to help launch new "green" businesses in the state. The Green Launching Pad will connect entrepreneurs and private industry with the technical, scientific and business faculty and staff of UNH, with a goal of creating a competitive green energy technology commercialization program. Teams working on a project will receive up to $90,000 in funding. Project selection will be competitive and must be in the areas of energy efficiency, energy conservation, renewable energy, and/or sustainable energy--those that will quickly lead to energy savings, emissions reductions, and business and employment growth. Pre-proposals are due March 15. This link takes you directly to the pre-proposal information.

 

The new businesses would be required to help the State achieve the objectives of the NH Climate Action Plan with an emphasis on reducing carbon emissions in sustainable ways while creating new jobs and contributing positively to the state’s economy. A series of seminars are being held for interested parties. Consult the website for event details.

Energy tax incentives provided for businesses

Businesses should be aware that there are many energy tax incentives provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The complete list is available from the Internal Revenue Service. Most of the incentives involve renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Here are some

examples:

 

 

New Clean Renewable Energy Bonds

Section 1111 increases the amount of funds available to issue new clean renewable energy bonds from the one-time national limit of $800 million to $2.4 billion. These qualified tax credit bonds can be issued to finance certain types of facilities that generate electricity from renewable source.

 

Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds

Section 1112 increases the amount of funds available to issue qualified energy conservation bonds from the one-time national limit of $800 million to $3.2 billion. These qualified tax credit bonds can be issued to finance governmental programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other conservation purposes.

More information on all the provisions of ARRA can be found on the IRS Tax Provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009  webpage.

The Green Alliance: Buy local, buy green

The so-called "green economy" is growing largely through the efforts of small businesses.

And a new group -- the Green Alliance -- has formed in the New Hampshire Seacoast area to, as its web site states: "... increase the profits of the businesses that are having the least impact on the environment and through 'Business-to-Business' mentoring and strength in partnership, encourage more sustainable business practices."

When a business joins the alliance it goes through an evaluation to measure its levels of sustainability. In addition, the alliance generates a report card, based on quantitative analysis, that scores a business as a sprout, a bud or a blossom.

Owners say the recent consumer focus on the environment and buying local can go hand in hand toward greater profitability.

10 quick tips to help your small business get and stay “green”

You might find something helpful in this list of 10 tips for “greening” your small business, from our friends at the website Good Green Tips.  One of the best things you can do, for starters, is just to ask your employees. They might see a way your company can easily save energy use in your offices, for example. One of our favorites from this list is the idea of  changing your office light bulbs. Many of us have done this in our homes by now, but how about our offices? 

 

If your environmental concerns are on a grander scale because of the type of business you’re in, don’t forget that the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center offers an Environmental Management Program to help any small business in New Hampshire develop “best practices” for meeting environmental regulations and achieving energy efficiency. Counseling is free and confidential.

New Hampshire retailers take note: new EPA web site offers resources to help prevent and resolve environmental issues

Compliance, sustainability and pollution prevention information from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been scattered about and difficult to find for the retail business owner. To attempt to fix that problem, the EPA has now launched a new website (“portal”) that can lead the retail business owner more easily to the information that is most useful.

 

The site, while still containing a vast amount of information,  is designed to provide “one-stop” access to information on understanding and complying with environmental regulation and voluntarily going beyond regulatory obligations to protect our enviromment.  The EPA worked with the Retail Industry Leadership Association and the Food Marketing Institute to develop the site.