Green Team Building through Adopt-a-Highway Programs

If you’ve been looking for ways to build team spirit and help care for the environment, you’ll want to consider adding an Adopt-a-Highway program to your list of options.

What It Is

Through the Adopt-a-Highway program, community groups take responsibility for regularly cleaning a selected stretch of roadway. This nationally recognized program doesn’t just care about keeping streets clean of litter, however. It promotes sustainability by encouraging recycling.

Every item recycled helps conserve our environment.

That’s a message we’re happy to get behind.

How It Works

Although other businesses may resort to sponsoring highway cleanup, therefore reaping the marketing benefit without doing any of the actual work, we recommend that your group build your team spirit by cleaning up together.

Fortunately, many local government agencies in the United States partner with the Adopt-a-Highway program in order to ensure success. In many cases, volunteer groups are provided with on-the-job training, are given the tools they need (such as litter bags and safety vests), and are allowed recycling opportunities. 

Why We Care

Just as we love hearing that items have been recycled and reused, we love knowing that programs such as Adopt-a-Highway can serve multiple functions. Not only do they allow for cleaner and safer roadways–while simultaneously increasing recycling opportunities–but they also provide opportunities for effective team-building. 

There’s something about individuals working together outside their standard setting that allows for exciting shifts in group dynamics. Since high-performing teams often thrive because of good collective communication (not just good top-down communication), seeking ways to foster robust interpersonal conversation is key.

Few situations are more conducive to striking up fresh conversations than walking along the side of a local highway, cleaning up together. That’s why we’re such firm believers in the Adopt-a-Highway program as a solid team-building device. 

The community wins because the roadways are cleaner. The environment wins because items are recycled. You and your team win because you build stronger bonds and maintain more effective lines of communication.