Start up grants for a green business We are looking for information about grants for start-up costs for a business in the green industry. We are based in Indiana. The company intents to provide services that allow a homeowner/business owner to retro fit their home/building with energy efficient products. That would include tripolymer foam insulation, high efficiency heating and air (including geo thermal), Solar panels, tankless water heaters, reverse osmosis systems/ water filters, and high efficiency appliances.
Finally, you may want to contact the Indiana Small Business Development Center (http://www.isbdc.org/). They are a state based organization offering a wealth of free and low cost information, management counseling, and educational services designed to support Indiana small business owners and potential entrepreneurs.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign also has some good information on start-up financing for small business. See http://smartenergy.arch.uiuc.edu/html/info%5Floan.html. Although many of the resources are specific to Illinois, there are links to federal programs as well.
I hope this is enough information to get you started. If you need further assistance, please let me know.
Who are the best " green " commercial lighting contractors in the Midatlantic region? LEED accredited? I am designing a LEED silver office building, and I have some questions regarding daylighting and other energy effecient lighting technologies, from a contractors practical point of view.
I don't have any suggestions for the best commercial lighting contractors. However, the U.S. Green Building Council's membership directory is a good place to start. You can access it online at no charge at http://www.usgbc.org/myUSGBC/Members/MembersDirectory.aspx?CategoryID=2&CMSPageID=140. You can retrieve results by category (Contractors and Builders) and State.
There are quite a few good books on the subject. Worldcat.org has a comprehensive list available at http://worldcat.org/search?q=su%3AEcological+houses.&qt=hot_subject. These and the other titles on the list are available through your local library, either in their collection or through their interlibrary loan service.
A couple of particularly good titles are:
Chiras, Daniel D. 2004. The new ecological home: the complete guide to green building options. Chelsea green guides for homeowners. White River Junction, Vt: Chelsea Green Pub. Co. (http://worldcat.org/oclc/54350452)
Snell, Clarke, and Tim Callahan. 2005. Building green: a complete how-to guide to alternative building methods : earth plaster, straw bale, cordwood, cob, living roofs. New York: Lark Books. (http://worldcat.org/oclc/56614263)
