Rethink the Fundamental Purpose of Your Business: To take the first step toward becoming a responsible business, you must align your company's practices with a larger purpose. Consider Pepsi. Instead of focusing only on the byproducts of its business activities, such as water consumption and packaging waste, Pepsi is re-imagining its entire business model. Old Pepsi was all about selling sugary soda and salty snacks, which contribute to obesity and tooth decay. New Pepsi is about selling healthier, "better-for-you" food.

The commercial for the Chevrolet Volt was simultaneously innocuous and noteworthy. There was the requisite eco-imagery of blue sky, happy kids, and a sprawling green field surrounding the Volt, a plug-in, hybrid sedan that gets up to 40 miles "without a drop of gas." As the announcer put it, Chevy has gone from "gas-friendly to gas-free."

But the small print that flashed at the end of the ad captured the Volt's true distinctiveness: "Not yet available for sale."

Going green at home can be simple and fun. Here is my quick list for greening your cleaning routine.

1. Use cleaning products made from safe natural and not-toxic ingredients to prevent exposure to the hazardous synthetic chemicals conventional cleaners often contain.
2. Dust with a damp cloth to ensure that household dust, which can collect toxins, is removed from surfaces and not stirred back into the air.
3. Open windows and doors occasionally (even in winter!) to rinse out any air pollutants that have accumulated inside.

"This stinks!"

That was my dad’s reaction when I showed him my first business plan, when I was raising money for a startup that produced audio books. Alfred Hollender was the president of a global advertising agency and later launched a successful venture-capital firm. His practiced eye quickly spied my plan’s biggest blemish: the projected sales were wildly over-optimistic.

Dad’s advice has spared me much pain. "Calculate the amount of money you think you need based on a conservative sales forecast," he told me. "Then raise twice as much."