SmallBizResource Blog -- Green

Is Green Tech Worth The Investment?

Posted by Gayle Kesten Monday, Apr 6, 2009, 01:07 PM ET

Purchasing green technology -- certainly the right thing to do for our planet -- doesn't necessarily come cheap. What's a small-business owner to do?

According to a ComputerWorld article highlighting a dozen green gadgets -- including a surge protector, networking switch, laser printer, and high-def monitor -- "some of these devices require an investment that will be hard to earn back in purely economic terms." That, of course, got me wondering how many eco-friendly products are out of a small-business owner's reach. And from a pure cost perspective, are they really worth it? In that same CW article, writer Brian Nadel calculated his annual savings from using the featured surge protector to be in the neighborhood of $15. Meanwhile, the surge protector itself costs $45.

OK, we're only talking about a $45 product here, but add a few zeroes at the end, and tell me: Is a three-year ROI compelling enough for you? That's actually pretty good if you compare it to the $35 estimated annual savings you'll reap by purchasing this $1,400 HD monitor.

All right, I can't fight the urge to pull out a calculator; Nadel did only half the math. If you bought all 12 of the products he features, plan to fork out close to $3,500. Your annual savings by choosing eco-friendly wares? $100. (Thanks, Brian.)

I am by no means trying to discourage you from going green; hopefully the direction of VC will reverse course in favor of green-tech companies. While personal savings seem small, the collective savings are undeniable, and the impact on the environment priceless. And, as Nadel writes, "if you're in the market for a networking switch, a printer or a high-definition display anyway, why not go green while you're at it?"

Providing your budget can handle is, especially during a recession, agreed. If not, at the very least remember to power down and unplug what you can afford at the end of each day.

Slideshow: 7 Ways For Smaller Businesses To Go Green

Economy | Green | Hardware | SmallBizResource | Software | Startups

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