Friday, April 22, is Earth Day and we’re coming to the end of Earth Month. It’s a time to increase our commitment to saving and sustaining the planet we call home.

Small business owners already have so much to deal with every day. So why should you even bother to care about Earth Day, Earth Month or worry about environmental issues any day, for that matter? “It’s not worth my time,” I can imagine some of you saying. “Small businesses need to concentrate on keeping their workers employed, their customers satisfied, their companies in business, and all that environmental talk is just a bunch of political baloney.”

But going green is actually a smart move for small businesses, regardless of your political or environmental philosophy. Even if you’re not worried about saving the planet, I’m guessing you’d like to save money. It’s just good business to reduce your energy consumption (especially with the cost of gas going through the roof!), and when you do, you’ll also reduce your bills.

Better yet, saving the environment may actually help save your business. Thousands, if not millions, of small businesses have already been impacted by climate change, especially due to fires, floods, hurricanes, tornados. These “acts of God” are becoming more frequent and more dangerous due to “acts of humans.” And small businesses may be the companies most vulnerable to climate change because they typically have fewer resources to deal with unexpected disasters or to relocate or adapt as climate changes affect their business.