The concept of going green encompasses a wide range of alternatives. It can range from the full-on mountain man approach, where the goal is to generate your own wind or solar power in order to get off the electrical grid entirely, to much simpler approaches such as buying recycled copier paper.

When considering the costs and benefits of going green, perhaps the best place to start is with an understanding of what is meant generally by "going green." Environmentally friendly activities have been popular for many decades, to conserve energy, reduce pollution and save money.

The idea of making a business green is not without controversy. Some argue that the concerns over global warming are exaggerated and that efforts to change behavior to reduce human impact on the Earth's environment are unnecessary. Debate rages in the scientific community, as well, over the idea that humans are causing environmental degradation and that something needs to be done to reduce the damage.