Starre Vartan

New year for trees

‘Ecopreneurs’ see green in green

NEW YORK – It’s easy being green when there’s plenty of cash floating around. Environmental causes tend to be minimally controversial, and all kinds of businesses feel good about supporting tree-planting, community gardens, children’s environmental education and the like.

But what happens when the economy tanks? Usually, funding for green programs dries up until the next bull market. But 2009 is different. The scope of our environmental problems is huge, and some of the solutions can come only from the business world. Being planet friendly is no longer just about doing good for the birds and the bunnies, it’s about saving humanity’s future — and making some cash, too, as these four Jewish ecopreneurs can attest.