A few weeks ago we presented our latest Make Mine a Million $ Business event in Denver. Of the 62 Pitch Winners, eight are green businesses. As someone who helped organize the 20^th anniversary of Earth Day in Central Park, this makes me very happy. It's heartening to see that people are taking concern for the environment so seriously.

Our winners include women from around the country, like Gail Loos of Ingenious Marketing, an innovator with a counter-top composting appliance for green waste (the new trash compactor!); Porche Lovely, of Denver’s Lovely Confections, an organic cupcake company whose mission is to maximize flavor and minimize carbon footprint; and Half Moon Bay’s Diana Zamudio, an interior designer at eco6design, whose showroom offers green building products.

What was especially interesting was how such a diverse collection of companies fell under the “green” rubric. For example, Gina Ragsdale, a 2010 M3 Awardee who has introduced green demolition to developers and construction firms around Georgia. Or Adele Horowitz of Licenders, a professional service for the removal and screening of head lice. She didn't like the idea of putting pesticides on her child’s head, so she came up with an all-natural solution. It paid off: In 2009, she was making $400,000 in revenues. By 2010, she was up to $1,100,000. Clearly, there are “green biz” opportunities in just about every industry—and that’s only good news for innovative business owners who care about the environment.

Indeed, it’s good business practice to go green, whether you’re a provider of green products and services or a regular business that enhances its operations and contributions to the community by implementing green practices. These can also lead to tax breaks and help save money (tax incentives differ by state, so visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency for a list of opportunities).

So how can you turn your business green? Here are some easy-to-implement ideas from some from Make Mine a Million $ Business community members:

• “Get certified as a Green Business by your city.” -Ann-Marie Archer, Archer & Associates, coaching and professional search firm

• “Offer your clients and customers free, easy ways to recycle batteries, serving trays, or packaging related to your product or business.” -Angela Bernard, Audio-Video Systems

• “Invest in packaging made with a high percentage of recyclable materials.” -Holly Chmil, Amberjewelry.com

• “Assign a LEED manager position to a staff member to oversee, set goals, and manage accountability for in-house green initiatives” -Leah Brown, A10 Clinical Solutions

• “When planning meeting in a space outside your office, look for LEED certified and green spaces  and be sure to request pitchers of water instead of bottles." -Una Cote, uc, THE SOURCE Event Producers

• “If you must use disposable dishware and utensils, use bio-degradable like corn cups, sugar plates, and potato-ware.” -Mary Casy, Boulder Quest Martial Arts

• Go Paperless! Challenge your team to convert to online payments and invoicing, as well as deposit stubs and time cards; introduce Web tools like MicroSoft Sharepoint, GoogleDocs and “cloud” servers for collaborating on projects; and electronic data storage and scanning systems.

• If moving into a new office space, consider using low VOC wall paints, bamboo and recycled materials for construction, and acquire office furnishings from corporations that would otherwise end up in landfills.