Some not-for-profit organizations view the implementation of environmentally friendly practices as daunting and costly however there are ways an organization can reduce its footprint by changing certain habits within the workplace and by educating staff on environment issues. The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) has a sincere desire to reduce its impact on the environment and has identified some easy ways to go about doing so.
“The Foundation’s 2007 annual conference is really what inspired a group of us to form the Greening OTF Committee,” says Trudi Collins, Greening OTF committee member and program manager at the Foundation.
“OTF’s conference organizers did a great job of greening the conference, effectively developing alternative ways of disseminating information and reducing waste,” says Collins. Using water jugs, glasses and silverware instead of disposables, recycling conference binders, encouraging out of town volunteers to carpool or purchase carbon offsets and setting up a recycling program at all administration areas were a few of the ways they did it. “Staff and volunteers applauded the conference on its ‘Greater Focus on Green’ theme and vocalized their desire to see the Foundation move toward greening the Foundation at every level,” Collins continues.
A call was put out to OTF staff following the conference and what started out as a small group of enthusiastic employees quickly grew to include a broad representation of staff from across the Foundation. The Greening OTF committee’s mandate is to build and encourage environmental awareness throughout the Foundation by implementing environmentally friendly solutions.
“The committee has helped create environmental awareness among staff through its Green Tips e-newsletter sent out every few weeks,” says Collins. Each committee member also acts as an environmental ambassador, helping to identify areas for greening within the Foundation. Everyone at the Foundation is encouraged to do their part to change some key work habits that can help conserve and reduce waste. Some of these are:
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Print/photocopy double-sided when possible
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To turn off computer monitors and/or office lights at the end of the work day or when leaving for extended periods of time;
To print/photocopy double-sided when possible;
Print only when necessary; and
To utilize the canvas bags provided on each floor and at all regional office locations instead of plastic bags provided by retailers;
The Greening OTF committee is also working closely with OTF’s Administration Department to select environmentally friendly suppliers. For example, the Foundation has reduced its use of disposables for catered meetings, a shift that OTF volunteers are also making.
“There is an openness and acceptance to change among staff and volunteers at OTF,” says L. Robin Cardozo, OTF’s Chief Executive Officer. “Everyone seems to understand that it’s a collective effort and the Greening OTF committee is doing a great job of raising awareness on environment issues.”
The committee is currently looking at ways to effectively measure the conservation efforts of the Foundation and will be embarking on an environmental audit of two of the Foundation’s regional offices this summer in Ottawa and Waterloo. In doing so, the Greening OTF committee will be able to develop a comprehensive plan that can be duplicated across the Foundation.
“It sounds like a cliché to say that together we can all make a difference, but it’s true,” Collins states. “Small-scale changes can have a big impact and we can only hope that the steps OTF is taking will encourage other not-for-profits to go green. The health and vibrancy of our communities depends on it.”