Saving the World at Work

Sustainability. Carbon footprint. Green design. These are not fads; these are the new norms by which companies are being measured. Companies are now looking to do good as a whole and, in turn, are attracting customers and employees who choose to support their unselfish intentions. These are the companies that are growing in popularity and revenue.

I had the pleasure of meeting a very inspiring individual, Tim Sanders, author of Saving the World at Work.  This book is full of inspirational stories of foot soldiers of the “Them Generation.” This generation comprises those who are concerned about “them", or others in totality. The book is formatted with an intuitive list and easily executable actions. According to Sanders, as the Responsibility Revolution unfolds, five rules of the New Order will become clear:

1. The longer it takes to join the Responsibility Revolution, the more expensive it will be to realign in order to catch up with the innovators.
2. Integration is as important innovation in the long term.
3. Progress must be measured and reported.
4. Companies must provide rewards for adding social value.
5. Companies must stay focused on the new Value.

                 Order Here                                    

So what can you do to change the world at work? It can be as simple as being more conscious of your printing habits. After all it’s not just about saving the trees, but saving the resources needed to harvest, produce and distribute one single page of print. Even before getting your hands on this must-read, I recommend you implement the following actions as part of your everyday routine:

1. Become conscious of what you print and spread the word. Often times we print an e-mail or PDF unnecessarily. Make your clients and colleagues aware of "being green." Go to www.greenpdf.com and download the widget to discourage unnecessary printing
2. If you must print, cut and paste only the parts you need and use the back sides of paper. This could reduce your paper needs by half! Simple. But once you start to become conscious; your paper consumption reduction is drastically reduced. Multiply this across the entire office and you get a sense of the degree of impact, if everyone participates.
3. When you must print, use ecofont, which claims to use 20% less ink by placing tiny indistinguishable holes in the font. Download it here.

Tim Sanders is a foot soldier in the movement toward a better tomorrow. He inspires me to take action toward one of my favorite inspirational quotes - “Be the Change you seek in your World,” Gandhi.

I hope after reading his book, or even this article, you are inspired to save the world at work.