Who wouldn’t want to work in an engaging office environment? An engaged workforce makes a happier workplace and promotes a culture of collaboration and creativity, as numerous studies show. Corporate green initiatives are some of the best ways to engage employees. Here are four ideas that are simple to run and cost little to implement.
Donate Old Cell Phones
A great way to encourage your employees to be more eco-friendly is through a cell phone donation program. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Amnesty International are just two of the many organizations with programs that allow people to easily donate their old cell phones and other electronic devices. The NCADV partners with Cellular Recycler, whose mission is to keep as many cell phones out of local landfills as possible, and receives a portion of the funds that come from the sale of the refurbished phones.
If you want to make sure your phone is clear of personal information before donating, you might want to use a management program that will wipe the phones prior to donation. For example, BlackBerry offers a mobile device management program that will remove sensitive data from your phone. Both NCADV and Amnesty International provide donors with free shipping labels, so you can set up a small cell phone donation station at work with padded mailers and labels that your employees can use to donate their old phones.
Encourage Carpooling
Driving to and from work every day takes a big chunk out of the budget, claims Drive Less Save More. On average, most households spend over $5 a day on gas alone. To reduce the amount of fuel being used to get to work, encourage a carpooling program. To sweeten the carpooling pot a bit, you could offer carpoolers prime spots in the parking lot or a small bonus like a gift card to Starbucks or a local restaurant.
Start a Recycling Program
You might already have a box in the copy room that employees can use to recycle paper, but to make your office as green as possible, create a bigger and better recycling station. Sustainable Baby Steps offers numerous tips on how to recycle common items like glass and plastic. To get everyone on board, ask for ideas on how to start recycling, and reward the person with the most innovative ideas. Furthermore, make it as easy as possible for your employees to participate by putting the recycling bins in common areas. For example, place an aluminum collection bin near the soda machine and plastic and metal bins in the employee lunchroom.
Switch to Real Mugs
If your break room includes a coffee machine and a stack of Styrofoam cups, you can make your office more green by switching to ceramic mugs that can be used over and over again. You can announce that employees who wish to drink coffee need to bring their own mugs from home or you can keep a wooden mug rack equipped with a few colorful mugs for those who don’t have one handy or for guests. To keep the mugs clean, stock the sink in the break room with eco-friendly dish soap, sponges and cloth towels. The best thing is coffee tastes better in real mugs!