We are excited to announce that we’re offering our first-ever employee engagement program to Green Economy London members, Workplace Green Up. This is an exciting opportunity for Green Economy London members to provide employees with simple, day-to-day sustainability activities and win some awesome prizes. Wherever their workplace is – home or work – employees can participate.
Members can earn points over four weeks by completing activities, with each week’s activities focusing on one of Green Economy London’s target areas: waste management, water reduction, environmental stewardship, and energy and emissions.
Rules
Employees earn points for activities by posting a photo of the activity on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn, tagging Green Economy London and using the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020. We encourage as many employees as possible to participate however, only a minimum of two employees from each organization need to post their activities for their organization to earn points. Some Workplace Green Up activities can count as projects towards target setting!
Prizes
1st Place: $500 in gift cards to a GEL member of choice, a half page ad in Business London, and a physical award to display at your workplace
2nd place: $200 in gift cards to a GEL member of choice, a half page ad in Business London, and a physical award to display at your workplace
3rd place: $100 in gift cards to a GEL member of choice, a half page ad in Business London, and a physical award to display at your workplace
Week 1 Waste: November 1-7
50 POINTS – Have a zero waste lunch day
Encourage friends and coworkers to bring lunch in things like reusable water bottles/ mugs, bring lunch in glass containers and use metal straws.
To earn points: Post a photo of your zero waste lunch at work or at home, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
100 POINTS – Donate unwanted household items and/ or office supplies
Donate unwanted household items and/ or office supplies instead of throwing them out. This extends the life of items and diverts waste from going to landfill.
To earn points: Post a photo of donation items right before dropping them off, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
250 POINTS – Label collection bins
Label collection bins to make for easy sorting. People will be more likely to properly recycle and compost instead of tossing in the garbage as they’ll know what goes where.
To earn points: Post a photo of your labeled collection bins, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
250 POINTS – Recycle e-waste
Set up an e-waste collection station at home or work and bring electronics to a local e-waste depot.
To earn points: Upload a picture of your e-waste collection station or you dropping electronics off at a depot, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
500 POINTS – Start composting
Introduce an organic waste stream at home or work to reduce the amount of food waste from going to landfill.
To earn points: Upload a photo of your compost, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
Week 2 Water: November 8-14
100 POINTS – Check for and fix leaky faucets
A leaky faucet can waste more than 3,000 gallons a year! Check your workplace or home for dripping faucets and get them fixed.
To earn points: Post a photo of your faucets getting fixed, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
250 POINTS – Repurpose water
You can repurpose water in a number of ways. Save pasta water or catch water under a colander while washing fruits and vegetables. Use the water to water plants and/ or garden.
To earn points: Post a photo explaining how you’re repurposing water, feel free to get creative! Tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
250 POINTS – Only run dishwasher and washing machine when full
It’s far more efficient to wash a full load of dishes than wash something by hand. To maximize the water your dishwasher or washing machine is using, only run them when they are 100% full.
To earn points: Post a photo to show you’re running the dishwasher/ washing machine when 100% full, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
250 POINTS – Put a weighted bottle in your toilet tank
Upgrading to a newer, more efficient toilet isn’t always feasible so if you have an older, inefficient one place a weighted bottle in the tank to reduce the amount of water used for each flush.
To earn points: Post a photo of the weighted bottle in your toilet tank, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
500 POINTS – Install a rain barrel
Installing a rain barrel under your home or workplace’s downspout will reduce the amount of water used for watering landscaping and gardens, and reduces pollution caused by stormwater runoff. You can purchase rain barrels from Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Costco, or Home Hardware.
To earn points: Post of a photo of your newly installed rain barrel, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
Week 3 Environmental Stewardship: November 15-21
50 POINTS – Use environmentally friendly cleaning products
Switch most or all current cleaning products to industry standard green certified products.
To earn points: Post a photo of your industry standard green certified products, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
100 POINTS – Have a climate change conversation
Have a discussion with family, friends or coworkers about climate change and its impacts. One of the best ways to do this is to connect over shared values like family and community.
To earn points: Post photos or screenshots of your climate change conversations with coworkers, family, or friends, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
250 POINTS – Create an Eco-Pledge Board
Create an Eco-Pledge Board to put up at home or at work that identifies sustainability changes you can continue to make on a short, medium and long-term basis.
To earn points: Post a picture of your Eco-Pledge Board, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
250 POINTS – Have a staff/ family clean up
Participate in a litter clean up in your community with staff or family members.
To earn points: Post a picture of the clean up, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
500 POINTS – Green your coffee station
Source fair trade beans, reusable or compostable coffee filters, and eliminate disposable cups and individually packaged milk, sugar, and cream.
To earn points: Post a photo of the sustainable coffee station, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
Week 4 Energy and Emissions: November 22-28
50 POINTS – Adjust your thermostat
It’s recommended that you keep your home between 20°C – 22°C degrees in the winter when you’re home, and 17°C – 19°C degrees when you’re away or headed to bed for the night.
To earn points: Post a photo of your adjusted thermostat at home or work, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
50 POINTS – Clean refrigerator coils
Dusty refrigerator coils retain heat so cleaning them regularly will keep your fridge at home or work run more efficiently.
To earn points: Post a photo of cleaning the refrigerator coils, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
100 POINTS – Power down
When electronics are turned off but still plugged in they use ‘standby’ or ‘phantom’ power. Plug electronics into a power bar and turn the power bar off at the end of the work day and on weekends to reduce electricity use.
To earn points: Post a photo of your power bar turned off with devices plugged in at the end of the day, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
250 POINTS – Calculate your carbon footprint
Encourage employees and coworkers to calculate their carbon footprint using Project Neutral. It allows you track your impact from home energy, daily transportation, air travel, waste and food choices.
To earn points: Post a screenshot of your Project Neutral score, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
250 POINTS – Seal those leaks around windows and doors
Feeling those drafts? You can save up to 25% energy by sealing all leaks around doors and windows.
To earn points: Post a photo of sealed cracks and leaks around windows and doors, tag Green Economy London and use the hashtag #WorkplaceGreenUp2020
In addition to empowering businesses to set and achieve sustainability targets, Green Economy London aims to embed sustainability in the work (or work from home) culture of our members. Whether the action is a small individual change or large organizational commitment, they all contribute to our mission of making London one of the greenest cities in Canada!
For the Workplace Green Up guide with full rules, list of activities, points, and resources please click here.
Please email Kaitlin at kaitlin@londonenvironment.net for questions and to indicate your organization’s participation.
