Kuch Khaas Hai...

o raise employee awareness of opportunities to save energy and contribute to a healthy work environment, form a green team at work. While debate exists about recycling and other aspects of environmentalism, a green team is motivational for employees who want to make a difference in their work environment.

And, the team may even save energy and time, keep trash out of landfills, opt for reuseable dishes, share books in a library, and more for your work environment. A team is a great way to brainstorm and develop ideas.

Twenty Ideas to Get Your Green Team Started

In addition, here are twenty ideas to get your green team members started as they brainstorm and implement their own ideas:

* Keep room temperatures at 68 degrees in the winter and 55 degrees at night.

* Experiment, because employees have to be comfortable, but use air conditioning with discretion.

* Turn off your office lights while you attend meetings and at night and over the weekend.

* Limit the use of space heaters. Ask employees to dress more warmly instead.

* Recycle cans, bottles, newspapers, and magazines.

* Limit the use of disposable products at company supplied lunches and events.

* Put your computer and printer on energy saving settings when you know you'll be away for awhile.

* Purchase energy efficient appliances for your offices.

* Turn lights off in restrooms, conference rooms, libraries, and so forth when the room is not in use.

* Send extra food from company events and lunches home with employees or deliver the food to a local charity rather than throwing it away.

* Email advisories about how employees can use less paper. Examples include: set printers to duplex by default; print on both sides of paper for internal or personal use documents.

* Purchase large or refillable containers of creamer, sugar, salt, pepper, and butter instead of individual containers.

* Suggest lighting changes and use more energy efficient bulbs.

* Buy all employees a "green team" sweatshirt that they can leave in their offices or cubicles to wear when feeling cold.

* Evaluate packaging, shipping, and marketing materials to eliminate waste.

* Ask vendors who supply company lunches not to deliver lunches in individual boxes.
* Encourage employee car pools.

* Encourage employees to recycle at home; provide a listing of recycling centers or reuse sites such as Freecycle.com.

* Donate unwanted cell phones to organizations such as Recellular, Inc. that will recycle, refurbish, and promote reuse to provide funding for charitable and environmental causes.

* Buy and sell used two-way radios, parts, and equipment at locations such as TalkFar.com and UsedRadios.com.

Posted in Management