SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT | MOST POPULAR | RSS  | |
A Greener Office
May 02, 2007
How Clif Bar built an environmentally friendly office and staff
By Rebecca Aronauer
Sure, your office has those blue bins and uses recycled paper, but how much is your company really doing for the environment? Chances are, it's a lot less than Clif Bar.
The Berkeley, Calif., company began its earth-friendly makeover by changing the contents of the sports nutrition bars that it makes. In 2001, none of the bars' ingredients were organic; this year, the company plans to use 20 million pounds of organic material, or 70 percent of all ingredients it purchases. But Clif Bar's environmentally friendly attitude doesn't stop at its product. In the past six years, it has also made serious efforts to make its headquarters as green as possible.
The office uses recycled paper, and non-toxic ink and cleaning chemicals. But ultimately, the company is hoping to inspire its employees to become more eco-friendly, according to Elysa Hammond, the staff ecologist who is based in New Rochelle, New York. "Our primary goal is to educate everyone on sustainability because we know that will lead to the best results," she says.
To that effect, Hammond sends out a semi-monthly internal memo about the environment and every week, the staff has a weekly meeting on making the office green, dubbed "Bagels and Donuts" for the free breakfast that is provided. Each department is encouraged to find new environmental solutions. The creative department switched to recycled paper for all of its outsourced material and inspired Clif Bar's printing vendor to become a certified green printer.
In December, Al Gore spoke at Clif Bar's headquarters soon after the company introduced the Cool Commute Program, a strategy to motivate Clif Bar employees to carpool, bike, walk or take public transportation to work. "One of the biggest impacts your office makes is how people get there," Hammond says. Staff members earn points for making eco-friendly commutes, and at the end of each month are rewarded with gift certificates for up to $60 at places such as Whole Foods and the local coffee shop. For those who can't give up their car, Clif Bar makes owning an environmentally friendly vehicle cost effective. The company offers a $5,000 loan for employees who buy either fuel-efficent hybrid cars or cars that run on biodiesel fuel, which is made from vegetable oils. For every year the employee stays at Clif Bar, $1,000 of the loan is forgiven.
Clif Bar hopes to move to a green certified building in 2009. In the mean time, the company's commitment to the environment has made its staff more eco-friendly. As Hammond says, "A lot of the sustainability that happens in the office translates into changing people's lives at home."
Sidebar:
You may not have the green resources of Clif Bar, but there are simple things you can do to make your office more eco-friendly:
• Put recycling bins in every office and cubicle.
• Turn off computers and power strips at night.
• Ask your office manager to check out Environmentally Preferable Purchasing, a Web site from the Environmental Protection Agency that offers guidance on eco-friendly office supplies. (www.epa.gov/epp)
• Seek out help from local environmental groups on how to make your office greener.
• Encourage your staff to use scrap paper.
|
|
| SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT | MOST POPULAR | RSS | |
|
|
RSS