A Green Team is a group of motivated staff, representative of ALL organizational disciplines that learn and work together to improve the organization’s environmental impact, reduce costs, and create a healthier place to work. In this series, we will explore the top ten essential components of a successful Green Team program.

7.  Communicate Widely

Communicate Green Team activities and successes using a variety of vehicles such as email, websites, blogs and newsletters.  If staff does not have email access, post notices in break rooms or set up a centralized “White Board”.  Adding a web page to your company website is a great way to showcase the Green Team’s efforts and engage staff.  This can include a listing of member names, current campaigns, green tips, pledge cards, meeting calendars and a place to submit “green ideas”.  Prominently feature the Green Team logo on the website.  If appropriate, set up a Facebook Page or Group for your Green Team.  After the first year, an annual sustainability report can be issued to demonstrate your organization’s commitment and successful actions to the public.

Learn more…

Stay tuned for Green Team Top 10 – #8 Educational Events

Green Team Top 10:

#1 Leadership Commitment

#2 Open Invitation

#3 Allow the Team to Warm Up

#4 Effective Green Team Meetings

#5  Assess for Success!

#6 Brand the Green Team

Introduction by Dani Glaser of Green Team Spirit (representing the Westchester Green Business Challenge)
Presenter – Marc Karell, Climate Change & Environmental Services

The webinar shared some of the basics of climate change, the 9 purely business reasons to go “green”, and prudent initial steps in establishing a program that have been shown to better ensure success and maximum financial benefits in reducing one’s carbon footprint.

The Westchester Green Business Challenge, is a partnership of Westchester County Government and the Business Council of Westchester focused on helping all Westchester County businesses on the path to sustainability.

A Green Team is a group of motivated staff, representative of ALL organizational disciplines that learn and work together to improve the organization’s environmental impact, reduce costs, and create a healthier place to work. In this series, we will explore the top ten essential components of a successful Green Team program.

6. Brand the Green Team

Brand the Green Team by creating a logo and tagline that blends the business identity and sustainability mission.  The logo and tagline should be engaging and highly visible, appearing on all Green Team communications and media vehicles.  A great way to engage the entire organization about your green efforts is to hold a logo contest. Announce the winner at an organization-wide meeting.  Reward the winner by publicizing their name on the company website or offer an incentive such as “lunch with the company president”.

Learn more…

Stay tuned for Green Team Top 10 – #7 Communicate Widely

Green Team Top 10

#1 Leadership Commitment

#2 Open Invitation

#3 Allow the Team to Warm Up

#4 Effective Green Team Meetings

#5  Assess for Success!

A Green Team is a group of motivated staff, representative of ALL organizational disciplines that learn and work together to improve the organization’s environmental impact, reduce costs, and create a healthier place to work. In this series, we will explore the top ten essential components of a successful Green Team program.

5. Assess for Success!

Before beginning the first Green Team campaign, it is important to assess current performance and behaviors that impact sustainability in your workplace. Green Team Spirit Assess™ tools are designed to help you benchmark your current activities and performance as it relates to energy, water, waste, purchasing, and transportation.  Spreadsheet and survey tools make it easy for the Green Team to gather this critical data to run a well-informed campaign with clear, measurable reduction goals and strategies. The Green Team can serve as ambassadors in the Assessment process by conducting in person surveys, gathering information, and encouraging coworkers to participate in the audit.

Learn more…

Stay tuned for Green Team Top 10 – #6 Brand the Green Team

Green Team Top 10

#1 Leadership Commitment

#2 Open Invitation

#3 Allow the Team to Warm Up

#4 Effective Green Team Meetings

4. Effective Green Team Meetings

It is important for the Green Team to set a regular meeting schedule that works best for them, but occurs at least monthly. In between full team meetings, those who are working together on particular initiatives can collaborate as necessary.  Meetings should have a clear agenda that is emailed to the team in advance, seeking input on agenda items.  The Green Team Action Sheet™ is a planning tool that facilitates the discussion of actionable goals by assigning responsibility and setting the timeline and steps to achieve the goal.  Meetings allow team members to learn together and support each other to stay focused on the organization’s sustainability vision.

Learn more…

Stay tuned for Green Team Top 10 – #5 Assess for Success!

Green Team Top 10

#1 Leadership Commitment

#2 Open Invitation

#3 Allow the Team to Warm Up

3. Allow the Team to Warm Up

It is likely that this is the first time that this cross-disciplinary group is working together as a company team.  It is important for members to get to know each other and learn what drives each person to participate on the Green Team.  A great way to do this is to hold a Facilitated First Meeting where members share their ideas about being greener at work, as well as what their particular interests and strengths are.  Some might be passionate about eliminating waste and increasing recycling… others may have ideas about switching from paper to electronic communications. This first meeting is a great icebreaker and marks the beginning of working together as an effective group.

Learn more…

Stay tuned for Green Team Top 10 – #4 Effective Green Team Meetings

Green Team Top 10

#1 Leadership Commitment

#2 Open Invitation

2. Open Invitation

An invitation to join the Green Team should be extended to every employee, and to stakeholders if appropriate.  An open invitation will attract those who champion sustainability and are willing to lead the effort.  A Kick-off meeting is a great way for leadership to introduce the program, recruit Green Team members, and encourage representation from all departments and disciplines. Even if they choose not to actively participate on the Green Team, all staff is encouraged to share ideas, participate in initiatives and join the team anytime.

What is your experience?  Challenges? Solutions?

Learn more…

Stay tuned for Green Team Top 10 – #3 Allow the Team to Warm-Up

Green Team Top 10 – #1 Leadership Commitment

A Green Team is a group of motivated staff, representative of ALL organizational disciplines that learn and work together to improve the organization’s environmental impact, reduce costs, and create a healthier place to work. In this series, we will explore the top ten essential components of a successful Green Team program.

1. Leadership Commitment

Without a doubt, the most successful Green Teams have unwavering support from the top!  Leadership is committed to transitioning the organization on a greener path, and welcomes staff to work with them and be part of the solution. Employees interested in an active role on the Green Team are motivated by management’s validation of the importance of the program.  A representative from management should participate on the Green Team and their participation can help to fast track progress. Leadership recognition of the Green Team’s efforts and accomplishments lends credibility and publicly demonstrates respect for the program.

What is your experience?  Challenges? Solutions?

Learn more…

Stay tuned for Green Team Top 10 – #2 Open Invitation

Leadership Commitment + Green Team + Engaged Staff = Culture Change

Although movement toward sustainability can occur with any one of these groups, it is the power of all three that provides the foundation for culture change within an organization.  Leadership commitment can accelerate the process significantly.  It takes vision and courage to confront “business as usual” and make changes toward a sustainable future.

Successful leaders in sustainable business:

1. Incorporate sustainability into the core vision/mission of the organization
2. Are willing to listen openly and make choices toward a sustainable future
3. Value staff participation and devotion of time
4. Participate on the Green Team

A recent article in Triple Pundit about a company planning to introduce a corporate composting program states, “We knew our leadership team was on board when, after being pitched the idea last fall, our CEO asked, “Why would we not launch a program like this?” With his endorsement in our hands, the Green Committee began turning our focus to our 200 colleagues.”

This simple endorsement empowered the Green Team and staff to move forward with this project, part of an overall sustainability commitment in the organization.

So dust off those green pom-poms and give three cheers to the Green Team!

Next week’s post will focus on the Green Team’s role.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Green Team Spirit Launches Joint Green Team Program in 2 Village Governments: Dobbs Ferry and Hastings-on-Hudson, NY

CROTON-ON-HUDSON, NY, MARCH 3, 2011 – Green Team Spirit has been contracted by the Villages of Dobbs Ferry and Hastings-on-Hudson, NY to develop municipal Green Team programs for internal government operations.

The program kicked-off on March 1, 2011 at Dobbs Ferry Village Hall where Mayor Connett of Dobbs Ferry, Mayor Swiderski of Hastings-on-Hudson and 18 Village leaders attended a Green Team Leadership Training session led by Dani Glaser.

“To hit the climate challenge ahead of us we need to make changes now.  Our village governments need to set an example for our communities, and this change starts from within. Our village green teams will help change the culture, and this training will help us do that.”

Mayor Peter Swiderski

Village of Hastings-on-Hudson

“The Green Team initiative is a great example of the action that can be taken at local levels of government to improve energy efficiency and savings, which is not only good for the environment and our quality of life, but good for business too. It is also another example of how the villages are working more closely together to share services and opportunities to lower the cost of government and benefit taxpayers.”

Mayor Hartley Connett

Village of Dobbs Ferry

The funding for this work derives from grants awarded to the Village of Dobbs Ferry and the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson from the Clean Air Cool Planet – Community Catalyst Fund.  Each Village was awarded the maximum amount of $2,500 for the project.  The grant provides training and assistance to municipal employees in the critical areas of leadership development, goal setting, identification of resource-conservation opportunities, and communication.  The program is further intended as a role model for residents, local businesses and neighboring municipalities.

Championed by Village leadership, the Green Team program will be introduced to all staff in the coming weeks where they will be invited to volunteer to be on the Green Team.  Green Team Spirit will guide the Green Teams through the various stages of program development.

About Green Team Spirit

Dani Glaser is the founder of Green Team Spirit, which helps organizations “go green” using an interdisciplinary team approach that includes management, staff and stakeholders.  The Green Team Spirit program provides step-by-step training modules and tools to assist Green Teams in accomplishing targeted goals toward sustainability.

Dani combines her wealth of business experience with her passion for the environment and a healthier, more sustainable world. With 30 years of experience in marketing, communications, technology, advocacy, non-profit development and research, Dani recognizes that a time of great challenge is a time of great opportunity, and those organizations that embrace the cultural shift toward green business will be the ones poised to succeed in the future.

As a member of the Westchester County Global Warming Task Force, Dani served on the Business Sector committee where she studied various models for green business network development. Her advocacy of a “green team” approach to address economic, environmental and social issues at the organizational level is a direct result of this work.  She is one of the creators and administrators of the recently launched Westchester Green Business Challenge, a partnership of Westchester County Government and the Business Council of Westchester.  She is responsible for all sustainability efforts for the Town of Cortlandt, NY including the upcoming Greenhouse gas inventory (GHG) and Climate Action Plan.

Current clients include: The Town of Cortlandt, NY; The Business Council of Westchester, Westchester County government and most recently, the Villages of Dobbs Ferry and Hastings-on-Hudson.

Dani is also the co-organizer of Green Drinks Westchester, a networking group for those who care about the environment in Westchester County and beyond.

Green Team Spirit

Dani Glaser – Owner/Founder

14 Westminster Drive

Croton-on-Hudson, NY  10520

Phone: (914) 403-5149

dani@greenteamspirit.com

www.greenteamspirit.com