Green Champions Create Green Teams
Photo by Cole Allen on Unsplash
Many hands coming together to make a BIG difference. Where are your hands?
You want to make a difference to protect our world. You are a Green Champion because you care about protecting our planet and want to spread the word.
A Green Champion is one who
Enthusiastically supports, defends and fights for sustainability
Takes action
Shares with their ever widening Spheres of Influence.
Green Teams empower a group to collaborate and find fun "green" activities to reduce impact on resources.
“I love Green Teams! Ever since I heard companies were creating them, I have been following what they have learned. I love them because Green Teams engage staff, families, whoever. I love them because they are a way for Green Champions to create fun and synergy to help protect our environment.” - Natasha
What is a Green Team? A group of like-minded Green Champions who learn about sustainable practices as a group and work together to develop strategies that will make their business, home or workplace more sustainable.
Why are Green Teams important?
Green Teams enhance sustainable efforts with increased staff morale and retention while minimizing the cost of education.
Green Teams identify ways to walk-the-talk, increase cost savings and increase staff empowerment.
Green Teams lead to a stronger brand by helping staff break out of departmental silos.
Green Teams lead to more sustainability activities in your business, organization or home because everyone is encouraged to participate.
How Green Team individuals benefit:
Receive acknowledgement at work, among co-workers and in the organization's media
Build leadership skills and experience to add to resume
Enhance knowledge of sustainability.
Who are Green Teams for?
Green Teams are for family, roommates, staff, school group or club, workmates - people who care about Earth.
Anyone interested in having fun and collaborating with others to help make the world a better place.
How to get your Green Team started:
Create job titles and job descriptions for the members of your Green Team. Answer what each do for your team?
Create 4 SMART goals for your Green Team.
Plan Green Team Kick-off Meeting with all staff to introduce themselves.
Create goals, timelines and expectations
Set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals for small, medium and large projects
Align with the organization's culture and strategy
Assign tasks
Track performance and hold others accountable.
Green Team Kick-off Meeting
Introductions - Yourself/Green Team Coordinator. Ask each team member to introduce themselves.
Build mission statement and value proposition
Why are we doing this?
Where we are now?
Assess benefits: cost savings – reducing costs associated with waste, energy, transportation and water.
How is sustainability perceived?
Determine roles and support
Green Team members sign up for tasks and offer their best services
Green Team expectations – time, commitment, targets and actions
Outline the training, support and resources that will be needed
Discuss the importance of the Green Team leading by example and influencing colleagues.
Develop a Green Team action plan with schedule of activities and events
Address possible obstacles
Determine details for next meeting, establish meeting structure and frequency.
Activities of a Green Team:
Identify low hanging fruit. See Easy Fixes for Quick Wins below
Spread the word
Change the culture
Train other Green Teams
Celebrate and give recognition
Host an Earth Day event on April 22. First one was April 22, 1970
Create "Green Tips" to share, post and publicize
Manage meeting agendas and minutes
Promote non-toxic cleaning in home or office.
Easy Fixes for Quick Wins
Lighting – LED, motion detector, dimmer lights
Office Equipment – printer and computer efficiency, for example: extra space, 2-sided printing, turn off all equipment at night, at least on weekends…
Paper products – go paperless or post-consumer recycled paper
Heating and cooling – optimize energy saving air conditioning controls, turn off or down on weekends
Water - low flow water filter for faucets, eliminate bottled water
All three trash bins together - Recycle, Compost, Landfill
No single-use plastic
Transportation - subsidize public transport, promote bike commuting, make work from home fully functional
Events - no paper programs or tickets
Food - local and sustainable.
Green Teams are a fun way to build synergy while creating a more sustainable world.
Resources for starting your Green Team:
(1) How can an organization ignite change with a green team? According to Kal Stein, President & CEO, EarthShare, a green team can have a dramatic benefit on a company's environmental and financial performance. Often, green teams are constructive in realizing reduced costs associated with resources and energy consumption through peer networking, forums, interactive sessions and change management across their departments. It's one thing for the company to decide on a goal of reducing its energy usage by 25 percent, but quite another to convince colleagues to change their habits in order to meet those goals." For more read Kal's "The Anatomy of Green Teams: Igniting Change". As you read, ask the question: Do Green Teams need management authorization and oversight?
(2) According to Aimee C. Juarz, Ph.D. at Saybrook University, "Green team members aren't outsiders you bring in to teach workers how to be eco-friendly. They're actually members of your staff who learn about sustainable practices as a group so they can work together to develop strategies that will make your workplace a sustainable space. Five ingredients and a little follow through is all it takes to grow a grassroots green team, according to research. It starts with involvement. For more read Aimee's "Five Ingredients to Grow a Grassroots Green Team"
(3) There are more free resources online to help you set up your green team