Climate change may not be something that the average mid-career leader is thinking about, but Carbon Foresight’s Jason Steinberg says it’s something every business leader should.
Quite honestly, climate change is one of those issues that overwhelms me. And when I met with Jason to talk about what the average Director of Marketing in a giant accounting firm could do to make a difference, part of me was really skeptical that anything was really possible. Tackling climate change and “corporate social responsibility” seemed to rest in the hands of the senior team and require massive overhauls to the business that would take years.
During the discussion we had on our e-Roundtable session last week, Jason busted the myth that tackling the issue at a corporate level has to take decades. Their Speed-2-Green system can get you moving fast, but my big a-ha was the number of simple things that any leader can do to make an impact. Here are my 10 ideas:
- Promote litterless lunches…By taking your lunch in a reusable lunch box instead of a disposable one, you save the energy needed to produce new lunch boxes.
- Encourage carpooling… Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year
- Promote taking transit whenever possible
- Turn the thermostat in the office down 2 degrees
- Unplug your power chargers when they’re not in use
- Recycle at work
- Buy recycled paper products
- Send e-cards instead of corporate holiday cards
- Encourage tele-commuting
- Ditch the bottled water and get a filter for the office tap
One of the biggest challenges in tackling climate change is tackling the attitude of apathy.
But you’re not one of those types, are you? While the Corporate Social Responsibility chiefs are figuring out the master plan, why not start a grassroots green revolution in your organization?
If you have ideas that you’re already doing… pass them along. Together we can make a huge difference.
Happy leading!
