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Published On: Sat, Dec 6th, 2014

Getting Government Grants for Green Businesses

Government grants are funds that the government provides to certain organizations that are considered “not-for-profit”. These are given for free, unlike business loans that require the funds to be paid back. The sound of it would make almost every company out there want to have its own government grant, of course. But getting one is a lot easier said than done. The government has a number of requirements in order for a company to be eligible for the special funding.

There are two important things to consider when applying for a government grant:

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Writing a grant request

Writing one might sound easy at first, but this I not an easy task. In the article “Hot Tips to Finance Your Business Venture Today” published in AnyBusiness. It is important to have a solid and clear business plan. Also you might want to hire professional grant writers and let them pitch your solid business idea. These people understand the routine and know the requirements needed for the request to be considered by the government. Taking this into account will provide the necessary things it would take for a proper grant request to be written.

Having a green business

Government grants are mostly provided to non-profit organizations, institutions or businesses that focus more on the positive effects it contributes to the world than in the income it receives. A good example of this type of business are those usually referred to as “green businesses”.

Green businesses are considered “eco-friendly”. They are aimed at preserving the world’s resources and finding ways to “clean” the Earth. There are numerous green businesses out there, from companies that recycle paper to save the forest, to organizations that fund studies involving the prevention of global warming. Taking into account the purposes of these types of businesses, the government normally funds them through grants. One good reason, perhaps, is that by preserving the world through these acts, the survival and growth of the human race would be continued.

Currently, a huge part of government grants is invested on two important research and development fields in the green business. These two are:

Carbon Footprint Reduction – Basically, this process dwells on reducing the effects of global warming by trying to control the greenhouse effect. The focus is reducing carbon footprint in order to lower the rate that the earth’s temperature increases. Certain terminologies should be understood first to clarify the purpose of carbon footprint reduction:

  • Carbon footprint – This is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by one source. The source could be a person, product, event or organization.
  • Greenhouse gas (GHG) – This is a gas in the atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation, greatly affecting the temperature of the earth. It is the main cause of the greenhouse effect.
  • Greenhouse effect – It is a process wherein GHG absorbs radiation from the Earth’s surface and re-radiates them in all directions, causing an increase in temperature. Basically, the heat coming from the sun enters the earth’s atmosphere and gets trapped inside because of greenhouse gases, thus, the earth’s temperature continues to rise without any chance of lowering.

Reducing the carbon footprint reduces the amount of greenhouse gases that amplifies the earth’s warming due to greenhouse effect. Carbon footprint reduction can be as easy as conserving electricity (turning off the TV, DVD player, etc. when not in use) or turning down the central heating by one or two notches.

Alternative Energy – Those classified as such are renewable sources of energy that are stable and can replace fuel without the negative effects. Examples of alternate or alternative energy are:

  • solar energy (from the sun), which can be split into two types –thermal and electric;
  • wind energy, which uses the wind to generate electricity;
  • geothermal energy, which deals with steam or hot water coming from the Earth’s interior;
  • biofuel and ethanol, which are gasoline substitutes that are processed from plants; and
  • hydrogen, which serves as clean fuel for vehicles and is used mainly in airplanes and spaceships.

Carbon footprint reduction and alternate energy are just two among many other green businesses. They are currently on top of the list when it comes to government grant priority. Although there are other types of green businesses and other non-profit institutions out there, these two are seen as the most important, given the situation of the world. Aside from the government, there are several people and organizations wishing to help preserve the Earth by contributing to the numerous establishments tasked with the research and development of both alternative/renewable energy and carbon footprint reduction, thus investing in such ventures isn’t really such a bad idea.

Guest Author: Gabby Roxas

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