Adding a little Green

Green is the colour of nature. Green is the colour of calm. Green soothes. And yet, everyday we reduce the colour green on our planet. My daughter says

“Mummy, we should not cut trees. If we cut one tree, we have to plant ten others to replace it”

The first time I heard her say this, I thought that it is not practically possible for us to plant ten trees for every one we consume. That is where Green Yatra comes in. They have an initiative called plant a tree that enables you to plant trees for as little as rupees hundred per tree. You could do that to celebrate an occasion or in memory of something. Green Yatra is really keen on spreading awareness about planting trees. Check out the fantastic video they have created for this campaign. I watched it twice…!

Adding a little green to the environment is something I believe that each needs to do. In our own little way… in our own little capacity…. we can all contribute. We are more conscious of our resources at home. We remember to switch off lights and ACs while leaving the room. We try not to waste water. What about at work? Are we conscious to the same degree? I have observed that we are more casual. A lot of us seem to believe that things like these are the responsibility of the admin teams. Some measures we can implement at work to save our resources:

1. Print only when ABSOLUTELY necessary. Read drafts on your computer. If something needs to be printed for signature and filing, check for formatting, grammar, spell checks before you fire a print.
2. Use stairs if you can. It not only saves electricity but also makes you fitter! However if you wish to take an elevator, please do not call every elevator from your elevator bank. I have observed people pressing the call buttons on every single elevator. WHY? The one you have called will eventually come. If everyone calls all elevators on all floors at the same time, imagine the delay. You might save 5 minutes sometimes and waste 10 at another because of this collective habit. Not to mention the energy wasted when multiple elevators make it to the same floor only to return empty.
3. Shut lights in meeting rooms and conference rooms when you walk out. You would do that at home right? Why not at office too??
4. Carry your own mug to work. I know most offices have those little disposable cups next to the tea and coffee machines. Can you imagine the amount of paper and plastic that gets consumed?? Why not carry a cute and quirky mug for your break time?

So what would you do to add a little green to your workplace???