How to Launch an Earth Day Initiative At Your Workplace
How to Launch an Earth Day Initiative At Your Workplace
While more people and companies commit to taking better care of the environment, launching an Earth Day Initiative at your company may feel like a big step. Starting an Earth Day Initiative at your workplace doesn’t have to be challenging, however, and can be a great way to take better care of our world.
What is Earth Day?
Earth Day began in 1970 on April 22 as a global day of volunteering and activism to highlight the need to take care of our planet. The original founders were focused on air and water pollution most of all, but the event has expanded to include a variety of ways of caring for the earth. Many groups will do trash cleanups, donate to environmentally-focused nonprofits, and find ways to make their lifestyle more green that day. There are many different options for having a positive impact on the environment for Earth Day and beyond.
Earth Day Is Part of a Robust CSR Program
Any company with an engaged CSR program probably has some kind of environmental component to it, and celebrating Earth Day can be an important part of that effort. Earth Day is a great time to announce new green initiatives for your company, gather your employees for a volunteer day, or streamline processes to reduce waste and energy usage.
Why It’s Important to Add an Earth Day Initiative to Your CSR Program
The attitude of your customers is one of the biggest reasons environmental sustainability is so important for your business. A recent survey of young people found that 60% are concerned about the environment, which means that your customer base cares about sustainability and caring for the earth. Even if your customer base skews older, these same young people are aging into those older groups and working their way into higher levels in your corporate partners—by leading in the area of environmental sustainability you can position your company well for years to come. Adding an Earth Day Initiative is a great way to start showcasing your commitment to being a good corporate citizen when it comes to the environment.
How to Convince Leaders to Launch an Earth Day Initiative at Your Job
While you may be excited about an Earth Day celebration or initiative at work, it can be challenging to get leadership on board. Getting their support can help as you gather approvals for events, funding, and other parts of your Earth Day Initiative.
Find the Right Tools
For many companies, launching an Earth Day initiative can be intimidating as it can add extra work to already busy schedules. By using effective CSR management software like DonationXchange, you can automate and streamline everything from company matches on donations to environmental groups, volunteer coordinating and tracking, and even efforts like Dollars for Doers or other rewards programs to encourage your employees to engage. DonationXchange can help you launch and manage your Earth Day CSR work effectively without expensive fees or a steep learning curve.
Make the Business Case
Many green initiatives can also be a great way to save the company money! Efforts to reduce waste can lower the cost of purchases the organization needs to make and even cut sanitation costs in the long run. By lowering your energy usage, you can cut your utility bill. While some of these green initiatives may take some time for the cost savings to pay off, they can be an effective way to make a positive impact on our planet as well as save your company money.
Saving money isn’t the only benefit to your business. By getting your employees involved through volunteering and other ways of giving back, you’ll increase their engagement at work overall—which can help retain employees for the long run.
Get Buy-In from Other Employees
Finding other employees who are on board with an Earth Day Initiative is a crucial part of convincing your leaders to support launching an Earth Day initiative. The more employees who are already on board, the more likely your executive team will be to consider the idea seriously, especially when it comes to providing funding or additional time. Talk to others who may be interested, allow them to contribute their ideas, and grow the team before you bring it to your leadership.
Connect It to Your Company’s CSR Program
Your Earth Day initiative should be connected to your company’s existing CSR efforts. Consider how your current partners could work with you on Earth Day and how it can connect with the priorities of your CSR program. Make use of your company’s existing network and tools for CSR—like employee giving portals in tools like DonationXchange. By using an employee giving portal, you can make it easy for your team to use a company match, sign up for volunteering, or give directly to nonprofits they care about.
The Best Ways to Celebrate Earth Day at Your Company as Part of Your CSR Program
When you’re trying to get your leaders on board for an Earth Day initiative, it’s important to know what tangible action steps you want to recommend.
Add Some Green In Your Workplace
Connecting your workplace to nature can benefit your employees and the environment by reducing harmful chemicals in the area, managing stormwater, and boosting the mood of your team.
Try a green roof. Manage stormwater and help remove CO2 from the air with a green roof. You can make use of the rain captured on top of your building to grow an attractive and environmentally conscious green roof.
Office plants can help clean the air. Invest in some office plants to help improve air quality, brighten up the office, and help your team feel more at home. Options like snake plants can remove harmful chemicals from the air and add more oxygen, creating a healthier and more energetic environment.
Use furniture, paint, and other materials that don’t give off harmful chemicals. When choosing furniture, paint, and other accessories for your workspace, pay attention to the labels around chemicals. Many paints and pieces of furniture will give off chemicals and odors, reducing air quality in your office. By choosing low- or no-emission items, you can prevent this negative impact on your team and the environment.
Conserve and Monitor Energy Usage
Producing energy and getting it to you are some of the most resource-intensive and carbon-producing activities we do. Every way that your company can reduce energy usage, including around heating and cooling, will help the environment and help save your company money on your next utility bill. Sometimes, small changes can have a big impact in this area.
Swap out your windows. If you live in an older building, in particular, dated windows can be a leading source of energy inefficiency. You can save a lot on heating and cooling costs simply by having the right windows that will prevent heat transfer between the indoors and outdoors. Consider what options there are to swap out your windows to save money and save energy.
Use shades during the summer. In hot months, sunlight heats the air inside your building through your windows, causing the greenhouse effect. This can drastically raise the temperature in your building, causing discomfort and raising your utility bill as your HVAC system has to run harder to offset the increase in temperature. By using shades on your windows during the sunniest part of the day, you can keep your workplace cool and comfortable—and save your company money.
Turn off the lights. Reducing the amount of energy used to light your building is another easy win. Remind your team to flip lights off when they leave a room and consider including timers on lights in areas not widely used. You can even take some time near Earth Day to share tips like this with your team as a way to connect the Earth Day initiative at your company with the everyday lives of your employees.
Reduce commuting. Telecommuting can be another great way to cut down on energy usage and be more environmentally friendly. By eliminating a carbon-producing commute and reducing the number of people who are in the office, you can shrink your company’s impact on the environment. Fewer people in the office means lower costs for heating and cooling, lighting, and more. Consider allowing your team to work remotely every week or even having a designated day of the week where everyone works from home.
Purchase energy-efficient equipment. The next time your company is purchasing new equipment, whether for the office or another part of your business, consider adding energy efficiency as a priority. It can even be as formal as convincing your executives to make energy efficiency ratings part of the selection process, which is just one more easy step you can take to reduce your energy cost and usage and have a positive impact through your company’s Earth Day initiative.
Cut Down on Trash
Cutting down on the amount of waste that your company makes is another great initiative to launch for Earth Day. Consider making this a company-wide goal and providing recognition for the person or team that finds the best way to reduce waste.
Make everything reusable. Do you have a lot of single-use items at your job? Maybe you use paper towels in your bathroom, those dreaded styrofoam cups in your break room, or other single-use items that add a ton of waste to your daily operations. Consider finding ways to swap those out for multi-use or reusable items with things like air dryers for hands, washable coffee mugs in the breakroom, or something else.
Use compostable products at your company. When you do have to use single-use items, you can purchase compostable products instead of plastic. These products biodegrade over time, reducing the amount of plastic in landfills and lowering your environmental impact as a company. There are compostable disposable plates, bowls, spoons, and even straws (and not just those paper straws that people complain about).
Launch a recycling initiative at your company. You can even include incentives to encourage people to recycle! Place clearly labeled bins that let people know what they can recycle and how to do it correctly. You can reach out to your local recycling center or environmental nonprofit for resources to explain recycling best practices to your team. Then, award team members for recycling with things like a raffle, ice cream party, or other fun activity.
Reduce paper. Encourage your team to do things digitally instead of on a hard copy when possible. Reducing paper use can save your company money and cut down on the amount of waste you’re producing on a regular basis. For the paper you do use, make sure there is a way to recycle it and consider purchasing paper made from recycled materials.
Volunteer
Another great way to recognize Earth Day as a company is by organizing volunteering to benefit the environment. There are many ways you and your team can have a positive impact on the environment by giving your time as well as your money.
Launch a green team at your work. Gather a group of committed employees who care about the environment to lead your Earth Day initiative. They can help strategize how your company can help, educate others about what you are doing, and manage things like recycling programs and other green initiatives at your company.
Join a local trash cleanup. Take care of our planet by keeping it clean! Litter and trash buildup can leach toxic chemicals into the environment, harm wildlife, and generally degrade the look and experience of an area. Join a group that is cleaning up trash in your community with a team from your company—if no one has organized a trash cleanup yet, start one of your own! All you need are trash bags, gloves, garbage pickers, and a place to dispose of what you pick up.
Spread the word on social media. Bringing attention to how people can care for the environment is a great way to use your company’s platform for good. Be careful that you are backing up any commitment on social media with your company’s own efforts and financial support to avoid being accused of hypocrisy. Having a response prepared in the case of questions can be helpful to be proactive and ready to address comments or concerns.
Connect your work to your CSR. How can the work your company does connect to your CSR efforts? You could plant a tree for every client for Earth Day, support environmental work that impacts your industry, or participate in a trash clean-up around your corporate property. Whatever way you engage, try to find something that connects with your purpose.
Support the Environment with an Earth Day Initiative at Your Workplace
Whether you are volunteering as a team, contributing financially to environmentally-focused nonprofits, or reducing your company’s impact on the environment, an Earth Day initiative can be a great way to put your love for the planet into action. By explaining the business case of cost savings and public perception, you can get your leaders on board to make a positive impact on the planet. Get started on your plan for Earth Day now!
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