“The architecture firm I work for does a lot with sustainable design. Each day when I came to work I heard more and more about things like “gray water” and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s). For a company with its heart so clearly in the right place, I found one thing really ironic: we used paper cups for our coffee. I crunched the numbers one day, and figured that if each of the 300 people in my office used just one cup a day, we’d be using more than 75,000 paper cups per year! I asked the leaders of my office if I could organize a committee of concerned staff to brainstorm ways we could cut down on waste and energy. With their hearty approval, I started a Green The Office committee. One year later, we have an interactive ride share board in the staff break room, we set all the office printers to default to double-sided printing, we have scratch pads and calendars made from discarded Architectural drawings, our kitchen and bathroom are stocked with non-toxic soap and cleaning supplies, and of course, we have switched to using mugs for coffee. The Green committee continues to find new ways to minimize the company’s impact on the environment, and that challenge is what makes it fun!

How I did it: 

1. I asked permission! While my goal was to improve the office, I didn’t want to step on any toes. It felt good to have the support of my superiors.
2. I sent an email to the staff asking them if they wanted to be a part of a low-maintenance committee dedicated to “greening” our office. I promised minimum time commitment with maximum output (we don’t meet we operate completely through email). I received around 20 responses from employees excited to sign up.
3. I made a list. I asked the committee to email me the top 5 things that made them cringe, ecologically speaking, throughout the office. I compiled the responses into what we now call our “Master List”.
4. We divided into small sub-committees, based on how each person felt about specific items on the Master List. I felt passionately about our paper cup problem, so I joined the “Mugs” sub-committee. Each small group was responsible for their own initiative.
5. I ask groups to be accountable. Each month I ask the sub-committees to send me a brief summary of their status.
6. We now give monthly updates. The Green Office committee was given a 5-minute time slot on the agenda for each month’s Staff Meeting. We give a brief update to the staff about what we’re working on, or what we’ve done. This has proven to be a great way to keep us on track, and also to attract new staff to the Committee.”

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