Warming Up to Green Training in the Workplace
However, the fact remains that there are instances where classroom training is the best possible way to achieve learning objectives. How can you still reduce the associated carbon imprint? Here are some suggestions:
- Minimize paper consumption by using a whiteboard rather than flipcharts. If you have to use flipcharts, then create them so they can be reused for additional training groups.
- Print only the material absolutely necessary for a successful training session. Keep detailed reference information, or even your entire training manual in an online location easily accessible to students and make sure every student knows where to find this material. Not only is this a more environmentally-friendly way to share information, it also allows you to add convenient features like dynamic personalized pages based on employee job function, easy keyword searching, proper categorization, and downloadable and printable sub-sections. The result is more effective engagement with students and a whole lot less wasted paper.
Effective green training is a strategy to change the way people think about how they interact with the environment. But changing the existing culture of an organization to one where environmental awareness permeates the everyday lives of employees is a challenge. Breaking habits and thinking differently about the way we work can be accomplished with a carefully-planned, well-designed and properly-executed training strategy.
Imagine the impact of initiating new employees into your company’s green culture on their first day followed by ongoing environmental education on a regular basis throughout the year. It might start with facts about global warming and then explain its impact on your company and employees’ role in combating it. Employees would participate in courses that help them identify sustainable alternatives, teach them how to calculate carbon emissions and remind them about the value they can add to the overall corporate green culture. Specific skills and behaviors necessary to meet your company’s sustainability goals can be taught and reinforced. Training can be individualized and offered online to employees around the world, thereby globalizing your green culture.
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