Just how far are consumers willing to go to save the environment? According to Forrester Research in this article from InformationWeek, about 12 percent of U.S. adults say they're willing to pay extra for gadgets that use less energy or are environmentally conscious. This emerging consumer market, dubbed "bright green buyers," is a key demographic for technology companies. "The green leadership position is open: Which manufacturer will create the iconic Prius product in consumer electronics?" said Christopher Mines, senior VP of Forrester. The survey, which included 5,000 participants, found that an additional 41 percent of respondents were concerned with the environment, but not enough to pay extra for green products.

Apple has the greenest PC customer base, with 17 percent of buyers falling in the ‘bright green category,’ followed by Hewlett-Packard’s Compaq at 13 percent. PriceGrabber.com points out two more green electronic products to watch for this holiday season: Samsung's 245T black 24-inch wide-screen LCD monitor and Apple's 15.4-inch MacBook Pro Intel Core 2 Duo Notebook.

Every five years, the Economic Census compiles timely and accurate business data to develop a detailed description of American business. This month, more than 4 million businesses will be receiving the 2007 Economic Census. The census will help business owners solidify facts about specific industries and communities, measure business markets, and provide data to determine new site locations and sales territories. The U.S. Census Bureau has created a website with information about the Economic Census and statistics business owners can use to grow their own business operations. Questionnaire responses must be returned by February 12, 2008.

In September, we wrote about 10 businesses facing extinction in 10 years. Our list included businesses like record stores, newspapers and used bookstores. But one of the items on our list took one step closer to extinction this week: pay phones. According to this Wall Street Journal article (subscription required) AT&T has decided to shut down its 65,000 pay phones throughout 2008. Verizon Communications Inc., however, has decided to stay on the streets with its pay phone booths, specifically those located in the Northeast in busy spots like New York and Boston. What product can phone booths thank for their demise? Cell phones, of course. By late 2007, there were almost 251 million wireless customers nationwide among a U.S. population of 301 million, the CTIA industry trade group estimates.