Employees can show your greener side
I was just reading some tips on how a company can promote its green initiatives. Many companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, don’t have a specific environmental policy, but most employees still do what they can to be a little bit greener.
A few years ago, I worked on a website for Vattenfall, the Swedish energy company – and one page included tips for reducing your energy use at home. Little things like not leaving electronic items on standby and choosing energy saving shower heads. They all count, so I asked a couple of people in the office what they do to be greener. Here’s what they said:
Fiona“I always make sure I have a spare bag with me in case I have to do some shopping on the way home from work. This means I don’t have to buy a plastic bag at the supermarket.”
Kelly
“When it comes to helping out the environment, the little things really do count. So I try and do my part by riding my bike to work, taking my backpack to the supermarket, recycling and buying organic whenever possible. And I don’t eat meat. Surprisingly, this probably makes the biggest impact of all: meat production is a major cause of deforestation and grassland destruction, and it drains our fresh water resources – 225 grams of beef requires a whopping 25,000 liters of water.”
Anonymous
“Don’t ask me. I don’t do anything.”
And me?
I live in Norway, and like everyone else here, I sort and recycle all my rubbish. I have six different bins in the kitchen: for plastic, metal, glass, paper, organic waste and the rest. I even have a recycling calendar on the wall, which tells me what rubbish gets picked up on what day.
Anyone got any other good green tips?
May 11th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Nice post.
Like many people in Copenhagen, I ride a bike to work, to pick up the kids and do the shopping. It’s quite safe and easy here: there’s a great network of cycle lanes and cars are used to giving ways to cyclists.
I’ve also just read about an initiative led by Copenhagen’s city council to cover the city’s roofs with grass. This would help absorb CO2 and produce more oxygen - which is particularly nice to breathe when you’re pedaling into a gale-force wind.
It’s ironic that our city centres could soon become the greenest places to live.
May 12th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
The grass roof is a traditional style they use a fair amount in Norwegian mountain huts. They look great in the scenery - and I imagine they will look great set against the urban sprawl of a big city. (I stayed in one over Christmas a few years ago and it even had a Christmas tree planted on the roof - very festive.)
If they are doing something good for the environment, all the better. Nice one, Copenhagen.
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:39 am
As we’ve recently relocated our offices into the center of Copenhagen, it’s now easy for me to take public transport. So whenever possible, I take the train and metro to work and I leave the car at home.
Another thing we do at home is to hang out the washing to dry, instead of using the tumble dryer. I’ve also got into the habit of making sure all our household appliances’ red standby lights are turned off when we’re not using them. So before we go out or before we go to bed, I do the rounds and switch off everything at the walls.
These are very small measures, but I reckon they make a difference.
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:34 am
I have a TV decoder box that shows a green light when it’s on. When I turn it off, it shows a red light. Bu there’s no other option! The only way I can get rid of the red light is by unplugging the unit from the wall. I find it amazing that the company that made it didn’t think of this.