Workers Favour 'Green' Companies, but Only
Half Measure Up
Link: http://www.qbr.com.au/index.cfm?storyid=32504&cp=displaystory
Although 84 percent of Australian workers
believe it is important to work for a company that rates the environment as a
top priority, slightly less than half (48 percent) actually work
for an organisation which has implemented
environmental or sustainability policies, according to a recent Newspoll.
Kim McKay, Co-founder and Deputy Chairwoman of Clean Up
Australia, and author of True Green @ Work, says in an increasingly
tight labour market, companies that embrace
sustainable practices will have an edge when it comes to attracting the right
employees.
"Our challenge to business is to fully embrace a greener agenda –
minimizing your environmental footprint will save energy and money and will
keep your workforce, and customers happier," says McKay.
Co-author Jenny Bonnin, also a Director of Clean Up
Australia, says every CEO should show leadership by implementing green
policies, and every business should be aiming to reduce their carbon footprint
by at least 50 percent over the next two years.
The Top 10 True Green @ Work things you can do according to the
authors:
1. Keep a mug at work for coffee rather than disposable cardboard cups.
2. Switch to using long-life refillable pens made from recycled plastic, paper
or timber, or from fully biodegradable bioplastic
(derived
from cornstarch).
3. Choose recycled paper, rather than paper made from virgin timber.
4. Set your printer to make double-sided copies to save paper.
5. Keep a paper recycling tray in addition to your waste bin.
6. Bring your own lunch to work in a reusable container to reduce packaging
waste.
7. Remove your phone charger from the power point when not in use, as it
continues to consume up to 40 percent of the current used to charge your phone.
8. Set your computer to sleep if you are away from your desk for more than 10
minutes, which reduces power consumption to about 5 percent of full operating
power.
9. Look to maximize the natural light in your office, rather than relying on
artificial light.
10. Join the environmental/sustainability committee in your workplace. If none
exists, take the initiative and form a green task force.