It’s April and during this month each year there is one day when everyone focuses on one thing—our planet. Of course, I’m referring to Earth Day, and the presence and attention of this singular day is a good reminder of the growing presence of the green movement.
   Earth Day is just one day, but the issues that it addresses keep growing and they’re moving more and more to the front of the average homeowner’s mind. Check out these factoids:

   --An EPA survey survey showed at least 36 states are anticipating local, regional, or statewide water shortages by 2013. 
   --President Obama is focused on making energy changes and has already taken steps to make his changes reality. The big stimulus bill, for example, included enhanced tax credits for homeowners who make energy efficient changes to their homes. 
   --And most importantly, homeowners are becoming ever more interested in what they can do—not only to save the planet but also to save money at the same time.

That’s your opening. By using water more efficiently, homeowners can help preserve water supplies for future generations, save money, and protect the environment. 
   Being green is one issue where you can make a difference and make money. 
   In fact, to help plumbing contractors do that, Plumbers’ Success International, we developed an entire program to help our members tap into the green movement complete with a Web site and turnkey marketing. Here are some of the ways that you can make green with green and become a part of this important movement:

Watch for Clues
It all starts in the home on service calls. Your team should be attentive to clues in the homes they visit that point to a homeowner’s energy- and water consumption consciousness. If there’s a programmable thermostat, for example, the homeowner may have chosen it to save energy. You can comment on how it’s a great way to lower energy consumption and ask if they would be interested in discovering ways that you can help them lower it even more.

Offer Options
Once you’ve seen some of the clues, it’s important to offer the homeowner options to enhance the greenness of their home. Whether it’s a low-flow showerhead or a tankless water heater, your clients likely don’t even know all of the options available to them today. And they won’t know unless you inform them. After all, most homeowners don’t shop for a low-flow showerhead on the average weekend, but if you explain the benefits to them and the fact that it saves water at the same time, they may suddenly be a little more interested.

Let ‘em Know
If you’re going to offer green products to homeowners, let your community know about it. There are increasingly frequent news stories about what homeowners can do to help the environment and save energy. By publicizing the fact that you can help, you’ll be in a great position to capitalize on the publicity this issue generates. Like anything else, if you don’t tell homeowners that you offer green alternatives, they’ll never know.

Walk the Walk
It’s not enough to just offer green products to homeowners. If you really want to tap into the growing power of the green movement, you need to live it in your company. Then, you can show clients what you’re doing to make a difference. Do little things like recycling your scrap materials. Or do big things like install a tankless water heater for a struggling family.

The Tax Man
Not only is the idea of being green becoming more and more popular with homeowners, it’s becoming more and more important to the government. In fact, the recent stimulus bill boosted the tax credits for homeowners for energy efficient improvements to their homes. That could mean up to a $1,500 tax credit for improvements, and that’s something that you should let all of your clients know about.

Those are just a few of the ways that you can tap into the power of the green movement in your company, and be part of saving the environment and saving your clients money on Earth Day and the other 364 days out of the year.