rg_01_ai8-1113vv-vI make a conscious effort to be green. I reduce, reuse, and recycle. It’s now a normal part of my everyday routine. While that may not sound normal to you, these tasks are small ways in which I can make the world a better place in which to live.  Here are some the ways I make a difference:

 

I am mindful of what I buy and the packaging in which it comes.

“Because landfill space is limited, retailers and manufacturers need to work together to reduce packaging waste. A few simple ideas include eliminating packaging, reducing packaging, designing refillable or reusable packages, and producing recyclable packages and packages made of recycled materials.”1

 

I bring reusable bags when I shop.

“The U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually at an estimated cost to retailers of $4 billion. (The Wall Street Journal). They are the second most common type of refuse and are extremely slow to decompose. They don’t biodegrade; they photodegrade. This means the materials break down to smaller fragments which readily soak up toxins. They then contaminate soil, waterways, and animals upon digestion.”2

 

I walk whenever possible or take public transportation.

“New York City has, by far, the highest rate of public transportation use of any American city, with 54.2% of workers commuting to work by this means in 2006. About one in every three users of mass transit in the United States and two-thirds of the nation’s rail riders live in New York City or its suburbs.”3

 

I fill my recycle bin many more times than my garbage can.   

“According to Recycling by the Numbers NYC Department of Sanitation Refuse and Recycling Statistics, 243M lbs of recyclables were collected in just the first 3 months of 2014.”4

 

I compost even though I live in the city.  

“Food comprises about 17% of NYCs waste stream. When this material is sent to a landfill it contributes to NYCs disposal costs and can create greenhouse gas emissions. When composted, food scraps and other organic waste become a useful product that adds nutrients and improves the quality of soil for street trees, gardens and more.”5

 

I donate usable items to charity. 

“Charity is to give out money or property in a voluntary or merciful manner. It is important to give to charity as you are able to help other people, you make a difference in the society, you feel good about yourself, you can support a cause that you believe in and you get to meet new individuals.”6

 

I recycle worn-out textiles and clothing.     

“The average New Yorker tosses 46 pounds of clothing and other textiles in the trash each year. All told, NYC residents discard 193,000 tons of textiles every year, at a cost to taxpayers and our environment. But with your help, landfills are going on a diet.  What happens to materials donated? Textiles are sorted into different grades including usable clothing, cotton scrap, cotton blend scrap and synthetics. These commodities are then sold for reuse as clothing, linens, etc. or to recycling markets that turn materials into wiping rags, fiber for car door panels and insulation.”7

 

I take rechargeable batteries to collection bins in Home Depots or Best Buys.

“Recycling batteries keeps heavy metals out of landfills and the air. Recycling saves resources because recovered plastic and metals can be used to make new batteries.”8

 

Packing Peanuts are taken to a local packing and mailing store. 

The UPS Store will reuse them and that reduces the amount they have to order/purchase.9

 

I travel with a cloth napkin and a plastic tumbler.

This reduces the need for paper napkins and paper cups by allowing me to reuse these items.  By the way, I purchased these items at a charity store.

 

I hope that everyone understands that they should be more environmentally friendly. Following through and actually adopting/incorporating tasks, like the ones I mentioned above, seems to fall by the wayside.

 

OK.  By this point you might be asking, “Greg, what does being environmentally friendly have to do with employee engagement?”

 

Employee engagement can make the world a better place in which to live as well and it must be a conscious choice. Supporting employee engagement is the same as being environmentally friendly. You must “green light” the need and then establish tasks to help you meet that need. Study after study has shown the benefits of having an engaged workforce.  Company executives rate it high in importance when asked about crucial future initiatives. Yet, even with all the buzz around employee engagement, companies are too caught up in their normal routines and they fail to make the effort to change their focus.

 

For employee engagement to become a priority, companies need to analyze what they are currently doing and what they should be doing from an employee engagement standpoint.  Then, they must provide employees with actionable steps backed by the rationale behind why those steps are important. Finally, companies must show how these actions can affect a positive change by continually updating the statistical information they collect.  Employee engagement should be the norm.  I hope you’ll incorporate employee engagement into your routine and help bring this new norm into play.

 

 

1 http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/ReduceWaste/Packaging/
2 http://www.reuseit.com/facts-and-myths/facts-about-the-plastic-bag-pandemic.htm
3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportation_in_New_York_City
4 http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/resources/reports_stats.shtml#explained
5 http://www.grownyc.org/compost
6 http://www.ask.com/question/why-is-it-important-to-give-to-charity
7 http://www.grownyc.org/clothing
8 http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/battery.htm
9 http://compass.ups.com/10green/

 

 

P.S.  First time here? Welcome to the Agent In Engagement site. Thanks for taking the time to stop by!  I hope you’ll explore the rest of the site.Let me know what employee engagement topics interest you.

Other recent Agent in Engagement articles by Gregory F Simpson:

 

 

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I’m Agent in Engagement Simpson…Gregory F Simpson.

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