Earth Day

Earth Day Options for Companies
Friday, April 22, 2011

Thank you for your interest in an Earth Day project. Green Calgary receives a large number of requests from companies and organization to be part of their Earth Day celebrations. Unfortunately, because this is such a busy time of year, we book up quickly and need to give priority to organizations and companies who are environmentally active with us all year round. Green Calgary would still like to help you have a successful Earth Day! We’ve put together several suggestions and options for you and your company to choose from.

Option # 1: Start a Green Team

Starting an office Green Team is a great way to give a voice to the environmental concerns of your company. By bringing together like minded people from within your organization you can collectively prioritize the environmental issues you want to tackle and come up with the most effective way of reaching your eco goals. Follow these steps to create a Green Team in your office.

Step 1: Get support from management
The success of any Green Team hinges on support from management in your company. Advocate to the powers that be the benefits a green team can have such as cost savings, greener company image, and increased staff moral.

Step 2: Choose your team
Try to get people from various departments to be Green Team members so that all aspects of your company’s current processes and practices are understood when determing your environmental goals.

Step 3: Pick your battles
What environmental issues are important to your company and its employees? Maybe you want to improve or implement an office recycling program, or reduce the amount of energy and water used. With no shortage of environmental issues to choose from, pick one that the whole team will feel passionate about.

Step 4: Raise awareness
Get other people in the company on board by having a meeting or lunch and learn that raises awareness about environmental issues. Try showing a short informational video such as the ones that can be found on The Story of Stuff website.

Step 5: Get help
Contact Green Calgary's Commercial Environmental Services team for help with any of these steps or to find out what else your Green Team can do.

Option # 2: Go Paperless on Earth-Day:

Start a campaign to eliminate paper waste for an entire day. While this may be a lofty goal it can help people to pay attention to their paper usage around the office. You can even make it a fun challenge between floors or departments to see who can reduce their paper the most.

Option # 3: Lug a Mug Campaign:

Have everyone at work use a travel mug to help eliminate disposables. Give out prizes when ‘catching’ them in the act.

Option # 4: Book a Waste @ Work:

Learn how your office can reduce its environmental impact at work by booking this interactive presentation. Green Calgary is already getting requests from companies to present during Earth-Week and with Earth-Day falling on Good Friday we will book up quickly.

Option # 5: Pitch-In Canada:

Help to clean up, restore and preserve Calgary’s environment by volunteering with Pitch-In Canada’s 2011 Operation Clean sweep.

Option # 6: Start Working with Commercial Environmental Services

Green Calgary's commercial program assists companies to reduce their environmental impact with a focus on waste reduction. We offer the information, resources and tools necessary to divert waste from landfill and reach your waste diversion and environmental goals. One on one support allows us to understand your needs and customize the services and recommendations for your business. Commercial Environmental Services will provide each organization with a visual waste assessment in which Green Calgary staff identifies materials for reuse and recycling as well as other greening opportunities, while getting a better idea for the current initiatives and goals of the company.

For more information on the program visit our Commercial Environmental Services webpage or contact James at [403] 230-1443 x 227 or by email at james@greencalgary.org.