There's a huge push these days to "go green," and some local men believe they have found a way to make the change while saving money. Josh Notes, Matej Harangozo and Jason Jannati, all Oakland Mills High School graduates, started a business around this idea, hoping inspire a green lifestyle.

Each of the co-owners of greeNEWit became interested in the environment at different times in their lives, but there was one common denominator -- their mothers.

"My mom was always supportive of my ventures, but she would always tell me to look for more and see what I could do to make a difference," Notes said.

The founders' fight the idea that going green is a fad by saying it makes more sense than "stripping the earth of its natural resources," according to Jannati.

"Our company pays you out by saving you money on your energy bills," Notes said. "We conduct green audits, and with some changes in your home, we can save you between 20 to 30 percent on your bills."

Harangozo dabbled in business even in middle school, when he would sell the day-old donuts from the Dunkin' Donuts he worked at to students at lunch.

Notes and Harangozo started a company together, Terrapin Ventures, investing in Baltimore real estate in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods in 2006. Soon, the two of them linked up with Jannati, who was working for Pat Hiban Real Estate Group at the time. Jannati pushed Notes and Harangozo to figure out how they could begin a business together around an idea they all cared about.

"We always had similar interests, but they are more politically and morally backed now," Notes said. "When I started caring about things like the environment, I realized I could create successful ventures and that money wasn't my number one priority."

To try to involve the younger generation in the emergence, greeNEWit is putting on an eco-friendly Party in the Park, hosted by the Green Building Institute July 19.

"Take notice," Notes said. "Notice gas prices, and what is going on around you. Don't ignore it anymore."

Notes graduated from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland with a degree in finance and a minor in international business.

Harangozo moved to the U.S. from Slovakia when he was in the sixth grade, and has lived in Howard County ever since. After high school, Harangozo received a full ride to the James W. Rouse program at Howard Community College, which he attended for a year and a half. He then transferred to the University of Maryland, Baltimore College, and eventually graduated from Lincoln Technical College.

After high school, Jannati attended HCC and started working in real estate with Pat Hiban in 2005. He also attended Lycoming College for a while, where he was a part of the soccer team.

More information can be found on the company's Web site, www.GreeNEWit.org.

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