4. Get buy-in from co-workers Essential requirements to get buy-in


1 Basic understanding:. • Your co-workers need to understand why GOW is important and how everybody benefits • Communicate with them; make them feel involved and important Share the Fact Sheet with them. Tell them about www.greenofficeweek.co.za


• • Ask them for ideas .


2 Commitment of people. Your co-workers (or the organisation as whole) need to commit to being more eco-conscious - without this commitment, it will be a false start, and efforts will not be sustainable.


3 Commitment of resources .


The relevant decision-makers and purse-string holders need to commit to changing or upgrading resources to ensure successful implementation.


5. Information for your boss


Although some organisations are already making green decisions - and are to be commended for this - it does not mean that the culture of going green in South African workplaces is prevalent or pervasive; this is why a Green Office Week™ (known by the acronym GOW) is so important in driving the message home to everyone that environment-friendly workplaces can start from the receptionist’s front desk and extend all the way up to the CEO’s office.


GOW’s vision is threefold: To encourage -


1 Organisations to start seeing themselves as Eco-friendly Workplaces and develop green .


office policies 2 Management to implement and maintain sustainable practices


. into their workplaces; 3. Workers to take a look at the daily routines and realize the economic benefits of reducing


energy and resource requirements. Green Office Week™ is both about a bottom up as well as top down approach: Leaders should take the initiative, but if this is not the case, employees themselves create excitement about a more environmentally friendly office space.


GOW’s mission is principally about empowering officeworkers to: 1 Take action and introduce or reinforce behaviours that save paper, water and electricity


2 Reduce wastage. 3 Recycle wherever possible 4 Buy green; and


. .


5 Reduce pollution and the carbon footprint.


. .


However, a fundamental goal to be accomplished is to have management’s full backing and getting a GREEN OFFICE ACTION PLAN in place.


How to draw up a GREEN OFFICE ACTION PLAN is made easy by downloading a toolkit from our website www.greenofficeweek.co.za - which also provides more information on Green Office Week™.


© Copyright Green Office Week™ - A Dictum Publishers (Pty) Ltd Initiative careersuccess • issue 1 13 sue 1


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