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Go Green in your Office: Tips for keeping up with the Green Movement
Kermit the Frog famously stated, “It’s not easy being green.” It might not be easy, but it is becoming ever more important that we treat the environment with respect, using and discarding our resources wisely and being aware of the impact each of us have when we make the effort to be responsible citizens, at home and in the workplace.
The same “green” concepts we practice in our daily lives at home can be implemented at work. For example, turn off the lights when a room is not occupied; use a programmable thermostat so that heating and cooling systems are not running 24/7; and recycle. On a personal level, each of these efforts can make a huge difference . . . so just imagine how tremendous the impact could be if your entire office made a concerted effort to do the same. And seeing that we spend at least a third of our lives at work, going green in the workplace is a good habit to get into.
How does being “green” impact my organization’s mission and my ability to fundraise? In the not-for-profit world, how important is it for my organization to profess to—as well as practice— being “green”? We need to remain competitive and credible to our donors and prospects, and along with upholding our missions, being “green” can only help establish that our organizations also are environmentally conscientious. In fundraising, it is always a fine balance we strike with issues we face each day. Is our annual report too slick? How much should we spend on donor recognition? Is it important for our donors to see us as “green”? These are questions we need to ask ourselves and our organizational leadership.
For some organizations, going green will actually be a natural part of their missions. For others, it will be a supplement. Either way, it’s our world and we all need to do our part.
The website www.BellaOnline.com offers the following tips to get started:
- Be aware: Consciously consider consumption and make it a goal to consume less.
- Think Green: Write a company green policy. Distribute to employees and customers. Post it on your website, too!
- Recycle: Buy recycled when possible. Recycle as much as you can and help customers recycle, too.
- Conserve: Conservation is an old but still effective practice. Use less of everything, particularly natural resources.
- Save energy: Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent ones. They use less energy and last longer, too.
- Donate, don’t discard: Donate unused books, ink pens, cell phones, computers and other supplies to schools, nonprofit stores, libraries or nursing homes.
- Save paper: Reuse misprints as scratch paper and/or shred for packing materials. Print on both sides of your paper. Go paperless, and save files electronically instead of printing.
- Encourage others: Support vendors who have green policies in place.
What "green" practices are you implementing at your organization? Please share your ideas and tips with your AFP Chicago Chapter colleagues. Together we can make a meaningful impact on the environment!
There are several online sources that can help adapt your office’s current practices to be more environmentally friendly. Check out the links below.
http://greenskeptic.blogspot.com/2007/10/philanthropy-should-social-capital.html
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art4040.asp
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1630552,00.html
http://www.wnbc.com/goinggreen/12907475/detail.html
http://www.tsne.org/site/c.ghLUK3PCLoF/b.2054361/k.678/NonProfit_Center__Tips_for_Going_Green.htm
http://www.channel3000.com/goinggreen/14610427/detail.html
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/tsn/tsn.jhtml?id=156500003
http://www.pkids.org/ap_green.php
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