Going Green: Team Building The Earth-Friendly Way

As more of us become aware of the fragile state of our planet, the green movement is beginning to move into the mainstream. There are now green and natural products available for everything from housecleaning to beauty, with more appearing every day. When it comes to the office, however, things sometimes change more slowly. It may seem like a daunting task to transform a workplace into an Earth-friendly environment, but take heart. If you’re going green, team building the eco-friendly way may be easier than you think!

Here are a few ways you can go green at the office:

Encourage Telecommuting

With more and more of our work being done online, many companies are realizing that people can be just as productive working from home. Telecommuting helps the environment in many ways: it reduces fuel consumption, lowers the amount of office supplies used (and sometimes wasted), and can lower energy costs. If your company isn’t ready to introduce full telecommuting, start small by allowing employees to work from home one or two days a week.

Choose Recycled Supplies

By supporting companies that produce products from recycled materials, you’re putting your dollars to work for the Earth. Choosing recycled paper products, reusable pen, and used office furniture can all contribute to making a change for the greater good.

Repair

Rather than replace things, look into repairing them. Or, at the very least, donate unfixable items to companies that recycle post-consumer materials.

Offer Recycling

Simply setting aside separate bins for material that can be recycled can really shrink your company’s ecological footprint. Offer separate containers for plastic and paper products that can be recycled.

Go Digital

Enforce regulations about what should and should not be printed. While you don’t want to become too overbearing, a few simple guidelines can really help cut down on wasted paper. Encourage handouts, agendas, memorandums, and other documents to be sent digitally. This will work best if you integrate a logical digital filing system, so employees don’t have to waste time hunting down documents.

Share Information

Incorporate a ‘green’ section into your company newsletter. You can share news about new, eco-friendly products, or spotlight an employee who is really making an effort to be eco-conscious. This will help create a culture of sustainability and environmental awareness, and may help get more employees on board!

Reward

Offer a nominal bonus, award, or gift to your ‘greenest’ employee. This can be as simple as getting a miniature Earth globe to display on the desk of a weekly or monthly winner. This is a great way to bring Earth-consciousness to the office, and the visible reminder will keep the topic fresh in people’s minds.