GREEN TEAMS Part 1

GREEN TEAMS
Part 1

The focus on greening operations is evolving and some green teams are beginning to focus their efforts on integrating sustainability into employees’ personal lives, while others are aligning their efforts to support broader corporate sustainability objectives.

The business value of these three levels includes: cost savings by integrating energy efficiency into the workplace and products and services; attracting and retaining the best and brightest talent who want to work for companies and hotels with an authentic green commitment; and increased market share and revenues resulting from a stronger brand and new innovative green products and services.

This GREEN TEAM series will provide a summary of the emerging trends and outlines the best practices for green teams:

Start with the visible and tangible: Focus on internal operations
Get senior management involved, but don’t lose the grassroots energy
Engage employees to capture ideas
Communicate and share best practices
Engage employees with their bellies: The low carbon diet campaign
Engage employees in their personal lives
Engage guests to be part of the solution
Use art to raise awareness
Create a toolkit to support and guide green teams
Align green teams with corporate and hotel sustainability goals

This is a resource for companies, organizations and individual hotels just getting started and for those who want to take their existing green program to its next level. It is based on interviews with green team leaders, as well as a review of the latest literature and reports on employee engagement and green hotel teams.

GREEN TEAMS: Introduction
Keeping employees engaged, happy and productive has always been a priority for leading companies, organizations and individual hotels.

Today, as green becomes more mainstream, a growing number of employees want to work for a company committed to sustainability and seek a work setting where the green practices they value at home are being implemented at their workplace.

In a survey commissioned by National Geographic magazine, more than 80 percent of U.S. workers polled said they believe it is important to work for a company or organization that makes the environment a top priority. In 2009, many graduating Harvard MBAs signed an “MBA oath” showing their interest for companies that “strive to create sustainable economic, social and environmental prosperity worldwide.”

Green teams – self-organized, grassroots and cross-functional groups of employees who voluntarily come together to educate and build awareness about sustainability issues and to implement programs that encourage employees and hotel guests to take action – are increasing in popularity as a tool for both keeping employees engaged and showing your commitment to sustainability.

This GREEN TEAMS series provides an overview of some of the best green practices companies and hotels are using to support and guide green teams, without squashing their grassroots passion and energy. It is divided into four key sections:

Making the business case for green teams;
Getting started;
Four emerging trends; and
Green hotel team best practices.

Look out for EcoGreenHotel’s May Eco Newsletter as we bring you: Making the business case for green teams.

About EcoGreenHotel

EcoGreenHotel is dedicated to helping lodging facilities address environmental issues and achieve the Triple Bottom Line. EcoGreenHotel.com is also a great resource for tools, checklists, current news and trends, as well as a marketplace for green products and services at EcoGreenHotelStore.com. EcoGreenHotel also offers green marketing services for existing green hotels.

Credit/Source: Green Teams: Engaging Employees in Sustainability. November 2009. By Deborah Fleischer, President GreenImpact. GreenBiz Report.

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	GREEN TEAMS Part 1 The focus on greening operations is evolving and some green teams are beginning to focus their efforts on integrating sustainability into employees’ personal lives, while others are aligning their efforts to support broader corporate sustainability objectives. The business value of these three levels includes: cost savings by integrating energy efficiency into the workplace and products and services; attracting and retaining the best and brightest talent who want to work for companies and hotels with an authentic green commitment; and increased market share and revenues resulting from a stronger brand and new innovative green products and services. This GREEN TEAM series will provide a summary of the emerging trends and outlines the best practices for green teams: Start with the visible and tangible: Focus on internal operations Get senior management involved, but don’t lose the grassroots energy Engage employees to capture ideas Communicate and share best practices Engage employees with their bellies: The low carbon diet campaign Engage employees in their personal lives Engage guests to be part of the solution Use art to raise awareness Create a toolkit to support and guide green teams Align green teams with corporate and hotel sustainability goals This is a resource for companies, organizations and individual hotels just getting started and for those who want to take their existing green program to its next level. It is based on interviews with green team leaders, as well as a review of the latest literature and reports on employee engagement and green hotel teams. GREEN TEAMS: Introduction Keeping employees engaged, happy and productive has always been a priority for leading companies, organizations and individual hotels. Today, as green becomes more mainstream, a growing number of employees want to work for a company committed to sustainability and seek a work setting where the green practices they value at home are being implemented at their workplace. In a survey commissioned by National Geographic magazine, more than 80 percent of U.S. workers polled said they believe it is important to work for a company or organization that makes the environment a top priority. In 2009, many graduating Harvard MBAs signed an “MBA oath” showing their interest for companies that “strive to create sustainable economic, social and environmental prosperity worldwide.” Green teams – self-organized, grassroots and cross-functional groups of employees who voluntarily come together to educate and build awareness about sustainability issues and to implement programs that encourage employees and hotel guests to take action – are increasing in popularity as a tool for both keeping employees engaged and showing your commitment to sustainability. This GREEN TEAMS series provides an overview of some of the best green practices companies and hotels are using to support and guide green teams, without squashing their grassroots passion and energy. It is divided into four key sections: Making the business case for green teams; Getting started; Four emerging trends; and Green hotel team best practices. Look out for EcoGreenHotel’s May Eco Newsletter as we bring you: Making the business case for green teams. About EcoGreenHotel EcoGreenHotel is dedicated to helping lodging facilities address environmental issues and achieve the Triple Bottom Line. EcoGreenHotel.com is also a great resource for tools, checklists, current news and trends, as well as a marketplace for green products and services at EcoGreenHotelStore.com. EcoGreenHotel also offers green marketing services for existing green hotels. Credit/Source: Green Teams: Engaging Employees in Sustainability. November 2009. By Deborah Fleischer, President GreenImpact. GreenBiz Report. Back