How to Get Your Employer to Go Green

Sometimes I lament about the number of jobs I’ve had and how long it’s taken me to find a satisfying career path. But, there’s one thing that’s comforting about it: I’ve left green thumb prints all along the way. Whether it was getting a wine bar to recycle, tactfully speaking out against serving Chilean sea bass, ordering organic cotton tote bags to promote a nonprofit, or championing recycled paper for fundraising efforts, I have had lots of experience getting employers to green their businesses.

Now, I’ve landed at a publishing company and it’s impossible to ignore how tons (literally) of virgin paper goes straight to the trash. Of course, I’m resolved to make a difference there, but it would be a big mistake to rush into an overhaul of their system and layout an aggressive plan including a green roof and solar-powered printers. Your office is usually not the appropriate place to protest or rally for green causes. Approach a plan to go green as a business decision, not an ethical dilemma and you’ll see a lot more openness to your ideas.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming your employer is charitable enough to go green because it’s the right thing to do. A few might actually feel that way, but they are still ruled by budgets and numbers. Here are the three most important things to consider about getting your employer to go green.

1. Money. Your plan and your proposal to make certain changes at work will have to show it will save them money or cost the same. Or, you can find other ways to save them money (like on their energy bill, etc) that will make up the costs your new idea will incur.
2. Comfort. Try to figure out how open your company is to change. How can you fit in green initiatives that won’t be invasive to peoples’ daily routines? Your plan has to make it brainlessly easy for people to do the right thing – like clearly labeling recycling cans and trash cans, for example.
3. Marketing. Companies, especially for-profits LOVE the marketing benefits of going green. Make sure any plan to green your employer comes with ways to market their new efforts.

My last advice is to find allies by discussing environmental issues over lunch and don’t try to take everything on your shoulders. If your employer likes to create “committees” for various purposes, offer to help create one for the greening effort. If you enlist help, it becomes part of the company culture and there’s more shared responsibility. Plus, if there are complaints or concerns about the changes, you won’t be the only one solve the problems. Once you’ve got a team of support and an outlined plan of the areas you’d like to change, go to your superiors and hope for the best. Check back for another article that will detail what changes should be in your plan.