There are many reasons why businesses these days are choosing to take on more environmental responsibility. In some cases, it leads to financial savings by reducing waste and pollution through recycling and conservation efforts. And often, it improves the public image of a company and helps to bring in more business from consumers that value green business. Of course, it could also provide a big boost to the collective conscience of a company, making not only the management, but also employees feel good about the establishment they work for. But if you’d like to really get your employees on board with feeling great about going green, here are just a few tactics you can use to train them to take on a bigger environmental role around the office (and possibly even in their own lives). Read the full story

If, like me, you were a television-obsessed kid in the early 90’s, you no doubt remember a cartoon called Captain Planet and the Planeteers. For those of you unfamiliar with the show, here’s a short synopsis: five teenagers from around the world work together to stop the evil forces of industrialization and pollution from destroying the Earth. Each teen has a ring that corresponds to one of the four classic elements—Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water—along with a fifth one called “Heart” (and if you’re singing the theme song to yourself right now, you’re not alone), which when placed together summon a mulleted blue superhero named Captain Planet. If this all sounds stupid and heavy-handed to you, it’s because it is—and it certainly hasn’t aged well—but it was good-natured “edutainment” that taught me a lot of valuable lessons about our human duty to the planet and each other. Read the full story

You already know that telecommuting is an effective way to save your business money and increase employee morale. But like most things in life, it’s much different in practice than in theory. In real life, working from home presents many unexpected obstacles in the form of noisy kids and pets, lack of communication, and even loneliness. Here’s a quick four-step guide to beating the Work-at-Home Blues and making your commuting, non-sustainable friends jealous. Read the full story

An occupancy sensor was installed in the bathroom, which is several doors away from my office. Prior to the installation of the sensor, the light always got shut off after the bathroom was used. Now that the occupancy sensor is there, the light will frequently get left on. Drives me nuts! Read the full story

A green workplace requires a team effort. It doesn’t matter how motivated you are to turn your business green; if your co-workers don’t share in your vision, your attempts will prove rather unsuccessful. Every company has that employee who just doesn’t care. He or she uses paper like it’s going out of style, fills up a garbage can like it’s a race to get to the top, and considers recycling to be a foreign concept. The first obstacle you have in your way of going green is that person. Inspire your co-workers to support your environmental goals by putting the following tips into action. Read the full story

Employees are of one your greatest energy saving resources as they are one of your top energy consumers.  Computers, copiers, lights, paper, break room products, office supplies, water are used by your staff on a daily basis. Educating them about ways they can help your company save money and energy is a great step but inspiring them to action through participation will yield greater results.  Engaging their competitive spirit through energy saving contests is one way to rally your frontlines to help you reduce operating costs. Below are some ideas for employee energy saving contests. Read the full story