Recently we began a new project at Digital Cement; one that helps us feel even better about where we work and hopefully brightens Finance’s day with some cost reductions. It’s the Digital Cement Green Office Initiative, complete with Green Team, project plan and docket.
Though this may seem like a departure from our everyday client projects, many parallels can be drawn:
We’ve approached it from an analytical angle
We brought in partner firms with experience reducing organizational footprints. We spoke with several vendors before realizing we have all the skills required for this project in-house — which led to the inception of our Green Team! It was during this phase that we identified our four emissions areas: Energy, Transportation, Waste and Inputs/Suppliers.
We’re measuring a baseline
As with most of our clients’ problems, we require a measurable starting point to improve upon. We’re taking the four emissions categories identified during our Analysis phase, measuring current levels using standard industry processes and reporting these results in units both widely-accepted in the industry and quantifiable to the audience. An example of this is our baseline measurement for annual printer paper usage being the equivalent to 5 full-grown trees.
We’re setting specific, measurable goals
We’re setting explicit reduction targets for each emission source within our reasonable control. We have analyzed where we feel we can improve by reviewing the measured baseline emissions, and using intimate knowledge of our business and other organizations’ successes and failures as a starting point. An example of a goal is to reduce the number of trees used for printer paper in half, to 2.5 full-grown trees per year.
We’re creating detailed execution plans to achieve these goals
As on all our projects, we’re breaking out what needs to be done in order to achieve measurable goals. In the printer paper example, several steps could be taken to achieve our reduction goal: sourcing paper with more recycled content will reduce the number of trees required for each package before it even arrives to the office; using double-sided printing and installing codes on the printers are actions that will reduce paper consumption in the office.
We’re re-measuring to ensure our goals were met, and recalibrating if not
Using the same methods as our initial baseline measurement, we plan to re-measure once the execution plans have been completed. The time frame will likely differ for each emissions group. For example, replacing our cleaning supplies will probably happen more quickly than reducing our transportation emissions. This is because the latter requires behavioural changes, such as carpooling, using public transit or cycling. And although we are well-versed in influencing change as virtually all our client projects require some sort of shift in behaviour on the part of the consumer, this is where we’ll inevitably need to get creative. Shame tactics have been suggested — (s)he who prints the most pages wears a dunce cap for the week — but this may need to get approved by management…
In the meantime, we’re encouraging everyone to make their lives a little more green. Using a lower-emitting form of transportation to get to work, turning off monitors, hard drives and desk lamps at night, only printing when necessary, and bringing lunch in a reusable container are all small steps to lower individual, and subsequently, our office’s environmental footprint.
Stay tuned for updates, as we move through the stages of greening our office.
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