Louisa Pearson: 'Through hard work and bright ideas we just might avert climate chaos'

Be your own boss." It seems like a good idea at the time. Who wouldn't want a boss who lets you finish early and who agrees that pyjamas are suitable business attire? That's how most of us picture self-employment before we try it. Then you realise all that lazing around doesn't pay the bills.

Before you know it, you're working longer hours than you ever did as someone else's employee. Despite the occasional downside, being your own boss still has a lot to offer, and it's the subject of one of a number of workshops taking place during Global Entrepreneurship Week (15-21 November, www.gew.org.uk).

I particularly like the sound of one event being run by a local college for its students: Borders Den, where young entrepreneurs get to pitch their ideas to esteemed local dragons. I'm already wondering if I can bluff my way in and make my pitch. Locally grown flowers delivered to your door by bicycle. If only the frosts hadn't finished off my dahlias.

My business plan clearly needs a touch more research, but there does seem to be a genuine move towards new businesses that are green from the get-go. In search of inspirational stories, I took a look at Firstport (www.firstport.org.uk), a business advice service for social entrepreneurs. Dreams of an eco-friendly future are alive and well here, starting with the tale of Simon Hackin of Greenworks Scotland. Edinburgh's first green building material resource centre has received lots of awards, thanks to its mission to help the local community reduce its carbon emissions. How will it do that? By selling reclaimed and redesigned building materials, providing workshops and hiring tools and bench space, and offering a collection service for waste building supplies, diverting them from landfill. Go Greenworks!

Another success story that's been involved with Firstport is Eco Drama, which takes eco-themed educational theatre shows around the country.

Elsewhere, the Cultural Enterprise Office's Starter for 6 Programme (www.culturalenterpriseoffice.co.uk) always turns up a few green-minded businesspeople among its selection of creative entrepreneurs. This year's awardees include Fun Makes Good, a company run by Eleanor Young who specialises in reworking previously unloved items of furniture into unique statement pieces. My pick of the bunch is Pea Cooper Millinery. Milliner Paula Cooper uses recycled and non-traditional materials to create unique headgear.

Are you feeling inspired yet? Vaguely optimistic that through hard work and bright ideas we might just be able to avert climate chaos? While many of these businesses are deliberately small scale, others are potentially global success stories. One of this year's Scottish Green List winners is Vegware, the brainchild of Joe Frankel and Dominic Marjoram. Based in Edinburgh but operating in Europe and the US, they produce and distribute compostable food packaging, all made from plant-based renewable or recyclable materials.

These tales are just the tip of the iceberg. So if you have a green business idea, log on to the Entrepreneurship Week website or contact one of the business advice services and let that green dream fly. If it crashes to earth, you can always go back to the nine to five. n

• This article was first published in the Scotland on Sunday on November 7, 2010