Most people who support a green lifestyle do so by supporting efforts like recycling or conserving energy. But there are those who want to put their money where their mouths are.

They want to invest in companies that operate in an environmentally friendly manner.

Those companies are growing in number. Stock brokers like Chris DiMattio say the number of green investors is growing too.

“There are a number of charitable organizations, non profit organizations that actually have those written into their investment policies and there are some individual investors that want to be pro environment, DiMattio says.

As a general rule, green investments are made with long term returns in mind.

"Could you make a quick dollar on them? Certainly, stranger things have happened. But anytime you're considering investing in a 'green portfolio' you know, talk to your financial adviser about it and keep within your asset allocation mix,” DiMattio adds.

Lisa Alexander is an expert in environmentally friendly homes.

She likes to invest in green companies but cautions investors about "green washing."

"Green wash is actually defined as a company that spends money on marketing themselves as a green company rather than spending money and research on making sure their materials and their company and policies are truly green,” Alexander says.

Her advice: deal with a professional broker.

"You want to make sure that whoever you're investing in is truly green,” Alexander adds.

Brokers tell us we're likely to see a lot more so-called "green companies" in the near future. They suggest would-be investors learn all they can about a company before actually buying any stock.