For those who are still employed, the survival mechanism may kick in, to hunker down, duck your head and avoid making waves at work. However, what you need to do now is to broaden your skills. Make yourself, and your skills stand out in your company. This deep recession will be over eventually, and when it is, green businesses will lead the pack. You can help your company by showing it how to make the green transition.
Even without knowing what kind of company you have or who you work for, every business can benefit from going green. Even small steps will save your company resources.
But even more important to businesses now is to gain a competitive edge. Marketing your company’s green business savvy to consumers will make it stand apart. There are fewer consumer dollars out there — when people do spend money on products and services, consumers expect more, including the feel-good aspects of knowing that their consumer dollars have the added advantage of saving the planet.
The first step — creating a green strategy — will require the most effort on your part. Before you introduce your ideas to your company, you should research what can be done. Most industries have a fledgling green rating system or alliances that set green companies apart from the rest. Find out what the requirements are, and see how your company can meet them.
Your ideas will have more traction and make more of an impact with those who run your company if you have a plan, as opposed to just an idea.
Look at all the aspects of your company, from the office environment, to production, to operations and maintenance, to employee commuting. Because of your position, you may not have comprehensive answers for all areas, but even a few suggestions in each will show those in charge that you looked at the big picture, and all employers appreciate that.
A good place to start
Every green strategy, large or small, can start in the office. Explore the functions of your copiers and printers, and figure out how to automatically set them to print double-sided (often called duplex) to reduce your company’s paper costs. Share the knowledge so it can be implemented company-wide.
Research the cost of recycled content printer and copier paper. Using 100 percent post-consumer recycled content paper means that all your company’s printing is done without harming a tree. Even Post-its come with recycled content! Do the research and find out what your company uses and what’s available, as almost every office supply has a recycled-content equivalent.
Look at opportunities for increasing employee recycling at the workplace. Adding two small wastebaskets at a desk allows employees to throw away paper recyclables separate from garbage. Adding multiple recycling bins in the lunch room can encourage employees to recycle cans, bottles, paper coffee cups, frozen food lunch packaging and plastic lunch containers. Research who picks up your company’s trash, and find out if sorting your company’s trash will reduce costs.
Don’t wait to get going
Achieving a company-wide certified green standard will take time. To get started, create a green strategy. Outlining the steps your company can take to become more competitive in the new normal of green companies standards makes good business sense.
To make a change: Suggest buying 100 percent post-consumer recycled content paper. It’s an easy first step.
To make a difference: Create an in-house green strategy. Promote the changes in your marketing efforts.
To make a stand: Pursue a certified industry green rating.
• Christina D.B. Frankel is a 20-year Tracy resident, architect and mother of three. Her column, Living Green, runs twice-monthly in the Tracy Press. She can be reached at cdfrankel@sbcglobal.net.
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