Workshop encourages eco-friendly business formation

A report from Burst Media indicates that customers are willing to pay top prices for companies that offer green products and services or boast green practices. If this isn’t enough to make entrepreneurs consider starting eco-friendly companies in a slowly recovering economic climate, they may be inspired by news of an upcoming conference about growing eco-conscious companies on the West coast.

Washington state’s newspaper, the Olympian, says Olympia’s Enterprise for Equity will soon be hosting a series of free workshops for green-thinking entrepreneurs starting all business types. The conference will help participants prepare environmentally aware business plans.

The workshops will be offered to entrepreneurs in various Washington state locations beginning May 6. The Enterprise for Equity’s executive director, Lisa Smith, told the newspaper the nonprofit organization’s goal is to inspire new, green businesses formation in the region.

It seems the federal government is invested in this goal, as well. The newspaper says the U.S. Department of Labor awarded the equity $30,000 in grants – in part to support these workshops. Notably, the nonprofit has helped launch nearly 50 sustainable businesses.

Eco-friendly startups may be a smart choice for business owners in the current climate. The Cleantech Group announced that more than $1.9 billion had been awarded in clean technology business investments in the first quarter of 2010.