Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Relocate!

New hire candidates’ concerns about the environment is at an all-time high. They search potential employer websites seeking environmental programs with the desire to contribute to a better ecological future.

At a young age, children are introduced to environmental concerns through recycling teams in grade school. They learn to pick up plastic bottles and aluminum cans from playgrounds and place them into proper recycling bins. In fact, most playgrounds are made from recycled rubber. So, it is no surprise that when they enter the work force as adults, they seek active participation in continuing these practices.

Using the results of ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems, which help businesses determine areas of environmental improvement, to create interactive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs are beneficial. Allowing staff to contribute ideas makes a difference in both our businesses and the world at large. Participation in programs of this type rank high among employee satisfaction surveys and improves employee retention.

Some of the most frequently overlooked initiatives have some of the greatest environmental and employee morale benefits:

• Telecommuting/Work-From-Home Incentives
  Providing a work-from-home reward for performance achievements not only boosts employee morale, but also saves on carbon emissions from commuting vehicles.
• Responsible Recycling of Electronic Waste (E-Waste)
  Companies dismantle electronic equipment and grind it into its smallest components for regeneration into new products. E-Waste is a top 5 US export product. Decreasing this through the use of local E-Waste recyclers saves export shipping fuel, too!
• Purchase of Recycled Office Product
  Many organizations purchase and use recycled paper; however, consider recycled kitchen paper products and biodegradable cleaning supplies.
• Print ReLeaf Reforestation Program
  This program does the heavy lifting for you by automatically reporting the number of pages printed and converting it into how many trees are required to reforest the material used each month. A statement is provided with a selection of worldwide reforest locations from which to choose.
  
  Environmental Tip: Check out the training and earning program for the Oglala Native American Reservation in South Dakota to raise seedlings and reforest with indigenous plants. This program helps support the environment and provides jobs to Native Americans.
  
  
• Vendor Outreach
  Encourage vendors to develop an environmental program that excites their own staff to make a difference locally. Concerns in one part of the world are different in others. Allow each vendor to determine a program fit for their culture and provide support.

Finally, the most useful conversion tool you will ever find to help you report the results of your environmental efforts. Check out this handy EPA Greenhouse Gas Converter, which allows you to convert Energy or Emissions data into a variety of relatable units.

There are many ways to involve your organization in the efforts of environmental consciousness. These are a few that we can all participate in. After all, we do not have a Planet B!

References:

Print Releaf Program https://printreleaf.com/

EPA Greenhouse Gas Calculator  https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator