What is a Green Team?
A green team is a relatively new
concept for businesses who aim to increase the presence of sustainability
programs. These teams are designed to influence other employees and
stakeholders in the company by increasing awareness of environmental issues and
promoting involvement. A comprehensive green team will include employees from
all areas of the company, including management. This diversity helps to promote
employee involvement in the programs that are chosen for the company.
The success of the green team is
largely based on their ability to implement extensive sustainability programs
that employees of the company understand and embrace.
The goal of any green team is to
make the workplace more environmentally friendly. This includes looking at
existing processes and looking for ways to make improvements. The most common
goals are
reducing the
amount of energy and water that is used as well as decreasing waste. The
green team will look to engage employees and demonstrate how each employee's
behavior affects these overall goals. It can also include looking at the
building materials used in the workplace and working to include green building
materials wherever possible, especially new construction.
One of the most crucial elements of a successful green team
is the ability to communicate clearly, and engage others. This may include the
maintenance of such things as newsletters, wikis, and other forums for idea
sharing. Developing incentive programs and competitions are also common ways to
increase employee engagement and support.
The most successful green teams
will be properly trained in order to maximize their effectiveness. This
includes continued learning of new advances in
green technologies and best
practices.
One of the best sources of the latest learning materials is
the
Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC). This council is responsible for
advocating the transformation of green building practices in Canada. They also
actively participate in creating the most advanced best practices and
guidelines for green building development and operation. These guidelines are
specifically designed for the unique challenges that are present in Canada
including the environment, building practices and regulations.
Learning through the CaGBC
The CaGBC in particular offers a
wide variety of courses and learning materials for a wide variety of interests.
These courses address everything from LEED® (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) accreditation/exam preparation for green building
professionals to courses that are geared toward building the skills of green
teams.
Members of the CaGBC have access
to courses and training materials designed to educate green team members in the
following ways:
- Using green initiatives to save
money
- Minimize energy usage and waste
- Develop strong sustainability
plans that garner shareholder support
- Assessing the current green
situation and determining what goals are possible
Corporate memberships allow
companies to provide excellent training materials to all members of the green
team.
Members receive discounts on all courses,
certifications and training materials as well as networking opportunities with
other members across the country including legions of industry experts.