Feb 26
How to be green at work
Kim Stoddart, Managing Director of Green Rocket (www.greenrocketgroup.com) looks at the changes managers can implement to make their working environment greener.
It has become the latest fashion for blue chip companies with hefty marketing budgets to flaunt their green credentials in an effort to attract today’s conscientious consumers. Whilst some of these companies appear to have a genuine interest in the environment, others it can be said have simply jumped on the latest marketing bandwagon, ‘greenwashing’ their products and services to appeal to modern consumers.
Whatever their aims, it is good that environmental concerns are in the spotlight and that more and more businesses have begun to consider their environmental impact. However, there is so much doom and gloom in the media and little accessible advice available for businesses that want to take the first step but have no idea where to start. In fact there are many things that can be easily implemented and a series of small steps can soon add up to make an impact and get you thinking along the right lines.
Turning green
Every business has an environmental impact and whatever size your company is and no matter which sector you work in there are a number of ways that you can make your offices more of an eco-friendly workplace. From the obvious steps such as recycling paper and office materials to reviewing and choosing your suppliers according to their sustainability and quality of service, there are steps that you can take that will cut your energy consumption and emissions as well as saving you money in the long run. Here are just some of the ways in which you can make your office a greener place to work:
Recycle, recycle, recycle– It is estimated that the UK produces more than 434 million tonnes of waste every year and currently over 80 per cent of this goes to landfill. From the reams of paper that we get through in our photocopiers and printers to the plastic cups at the water cooler, the UK’s offices are some of the worst culprits when it comes to waste. We all know the importance of recycling so it seems crazy that more businesses don’t have systems in place, especially when it really is so easy to arrange.
So how do you move your workforce from refuse to recycling? Well, making it easy for people to recycle is the best place to start. Installing separate recycling bins for paper, plastic and tins, which are clearly labelled and accessible is an easy way to reduce your refuse and companies such as www.homerecycling.co.uk offer specially designed bins to make the process even easier. Education and encouragement are also very important. If your workforce is encouraged to make a difference on a personal level and come up with their own ideas, then they are more likely to actively engage with a recycling system in the workplace.
Waste paper is one of the office’s biggest environmental sins. 20 per cent of the world’s wood harvest is used to make paper and in the UK we use more than 12.5 million tonnes of paper and cardboard every year. When you consider that every tonne of paper that is recycled saves around one kilowatt of energy and some 17 trees it is easy that a simple change in working practices can have a major impact. There are steps you can take straight away. Encourage staff to print on both sides of paper where possible and to only print documents out when it is really necessary. Also where paper has only been printed on one side it can be made into internal note books which people can use within the office. This is an idea that one of our people came up with and it is working really well for us. Installing recycling bins and incentivising staff to produce less waste are also quick and easily implemented measures.
Demand more from your supply – Evaluating your supply chain and seeking out more eco-friendly alternatives is another simple step towards a greener office. From changing your energy supplier to a company like Good Energy (www.good-energy.co.uk) to using a green office cleaning company such as GreenYourOffice (www.greenyouroffice.co.uk); there’s a more sustainable and ethical alternative for almost every area of your business. If you explain to your old suppliers why you are changing this has a knock on effect of encouraging them to employ more environmentally conscious practises.
Energy saving measures – We all know about them but rarely do we employ them in our working environments. From energy saving light bulbs and bricks in the loo, to encouraging staff to turn their PCs off at night, a greener office is also a leaner office as far as your energy bills are concerned.
Incentivise your people – They are your most important asset and no matter what system you put in place it is up to your staff to ensure that it works. Encouraging your staff to go green is vitally important – get them excited about it and involved. Competitions or incentives for employees can make an impact inside of the office and out. From something as simple as offering a box of chocolates or bottle of wine to the person with the best waste saving idea, to setting up a lift share scheme or subsidising staff bicycles it is up to you to get your workforce involved.
Green minds think alike
Nobody knows a business better than the people who work within it, therefore staff in a business are in the best position to come up with greener ways of doing everyday business tasks.
Involving your staff at all levels is essential; whether it’s holding mini workshops to discuss your existing plans and encourage feedback, to setting up dedicated brainstorming sessions for those employees that are particularly keen to get involved. Enthusiasm is infectious; if your people understand the importance that their ideas can have and know that they will be valued and rewarded for them then you’ll be able to tap into an ongoing flow of innovation and creativity. It’s important to keep this momentum going so something like a monthly competition or regular workshops will ensure your project doesn’t lose pace. There are always new things you can be doing and from our experience getting involved makes people feel good about themselves and their jobs as they strive to make a difference. It also helps to build a strong working culture and is good for your business as it encourages collaboration and creativity.
A launchpad to a green working environment
At Blue Rocket environmental concerns have always been important and we had a strong set of ideas and environmental systems in place from the outset, but we wanted more. By encouraging our staff we have been able to ensure a steady stream of new ideas which have meant that we are always finding new ways of becoming more sustainable and influencing others to do the same.
Our people are encouraged to come up with new ideas and every month we run a green ideas competition. Some of the best ideas that have come about recently include:
Bags for life – We noticed that a lot of plastic bags were making their way into the office when people were going out to get their shopping. Recently on the advice of our staff we have bought some canvas shoulder bags that our people take out with them instead. This simple idea has made saving carrier bags much more accessible.
The eco kettle - Marking our kettle with how much water is required for a certain number of cups of tea is another really simple but effective idea that one of our people came up with. He simply worked out how much water is used per cup and marked it onto the kettle; given the amount of tea drinking that goes on in our office his simple idea has saved a lot of electricity over the past year.
An eco-education – On the bequest of our staff we are also about to tie in with Sussex Wildlife Trust so that each of our full time people gets to spend a half-day out of the office each month at their nature reserve working on a project of their choosing. This project will again encourage people to think about the environment in their day-to-day activity.
We have been running green initiatives for coming up to four years and have found that a lot of the systems that are implemented within the office have had a knock on impact as our staff start to adopt these practises into their home lives. For example, one of our consultants who always used to drive into work recently took it upon herself to make the journey on her bicycle. Other members of staff have changed their electricity provider to a renewable source and one of our associates even employed a company to advise her on carbon balancing her home.
