News & Announcements Blog / News

Thoughts On The New "Green"

Sarah Beatty, the founder and President of Green Depot, calls herself an “accidental entrepreneur.” She’s also working to redefine the word “green.”
 
“Green today is not about being a martyr,” said Beatty, a Green Entrepreneurship panelist at the 2009 Babson Entrepreneurship Forum. “It is about saving ourselves and being smarter.”
 
Starting in 2005, Beatty set out to sell of green building materials, and in the process has also developed a filter to help her customers learn about the different types of benefits that green products offer.
 
Co-panelist Jason Graham-Nye, co-founder of gDiapers, said the term “green” does carry some negative connotations that have hurt his business. 
 
Yet, as major retailers like Target and Wal-Mart show increased interest in green products, Graham-Nye said green is becoming more mainstream.
 
With it, opportunities are expanding for entrepreneurs like him to make money doing meaningful work. 
 
That is something that Beatty also believes in.
 
“The power of the dollar, and how we use it and the questions we ask can be transformative,” Beatty said.
 
“We’re pressing the reset button from a consumer perspective, from a supply-chain perspective and a building code perspective,” she said.

– By Andrew Lightman M’11