Shades of Green

[Book signing] It seemed auspicious to attend "ecopreneur" Scott Cooney's Feb. 17 book signing at Sam Weller's Books on the same day as Obama's stimulus bill signing. Cooney was in town hawking his book Build a Green Small Business, and the former co-founder of Salt Lake City's ReDirect Guide is living, breathing proof that there is some green to be made riding the green wave. At the very least, there could be a book deal.

Cooney, now living in "green-central" San Francisco, is a soft-spoken personable fellow who seems rather pleased with himself for recognizing early on that having an MBA and a love for the environment are not mutually exclusive. He launched and sold three green business in the past five years and now serves as a consultant for big corporations and even individuals searching for their own environmental niche. He also writes for several green business blogs, including his own at EcopreneursGuide.com.

A bit circumspect when asked how much opportunity would trickle down to small business via the stimulus bill, Cooney did suggest that energy efficiency (i.e., retrofitting buildings to be green) was where it was at, both in terms of a particular skill set and starting a business. He also stressed the importance of networking with other green business owners while the industry is young.

If you'd like to hear more from Cooney, you can catch him here.

Thursday, February 19

7 p.m.: Golden Braid Books, 151 S. 500 East, downtown SLC.

Friday, February 20

7 p.m.: The King’s English, 15th East and 15th South. Informal reception to follow. (Jerre Wroble)