Corporations are going the green mile

Call it a symbolic show of unity, but this Saturday, given the combined need to fight climate change, cities around the world will observe Earth Hour. Closer home, an increasing number of corporate houses have decided that one hour is not enough: it’s time to go eco-friendly 24x7.

The concept of green teams or green practices in the office space is slowly catching up in India. More companies are realising that change begins at home — in their case, the workplace.

Take Gensol Consultants Pvt Ltd, for instance. It is a carbon consultancy firm that provides expertise to companies on how to reduce their carbon footprint. Started in 2007, it has over 300 clients ranging from food outlets to banks to IT companies to airlines.

“We start by analysing a company’s carbon footprint, find the biggest cause of it, and then provide a solution,” says Anmol Singh Jaggi, 24, director of Gensol.

The company practises what it preaches. It has its own two-member green team, which has introduced measures like reducing server room temperature, putting up foam walls to cut down cooling loss, and adopting a centralised CPU for operations.

“We are testing software that will enable a company to monitor its energy consumption and wastage so that it can curb them,” says Jaggi.

The Hyatt Regency, with a 10-member green team formed two years ago, is another case in point. “Everyone gives suggestions through a think tank, and the most viable ideas are implemented,” says Biswadeep Mitra, materials manager and leader of the Go Green team. The team has introduced energy-saving lamps and sensor-based lighting in back offices, recycled bags for corporate gifts, books made of recycled paper, sensor-based taps, water meter monitors and eco-friendly engineering.

“We have a rainwater-harvesting system, including a pit that was designed by our in-house engineering team,” says Mitra. The new team is on the lookout for an alternative to polythene bags. In addition, the team is constantly scouring for eco-friendly products that can be used in the hotel. Customers are gifted ground coffee beans and advised how they can be used as manure.

From recycling paper to using energy-efficient equipment, machines and lights, the companies usually start with small steps. Id8 Media Solutions is a small firm of around 25 people, all of whom have adopted a green lifestyle. “Two major practices we have implemented are giving our clients CDs instead of paper dossiers and eliminating the need for paper at events by using laptops for data entry,” says Tanya Swetta, CEO.

Methods of conserving water and electricity, recycling paper, and reducing the use of cartridges form an important part of Id8 meetings.

Swetta maintains that an organisation cannot go eco-friendly unless employees participate completely. In Silicon Valley, for instance, employees are urged to contribute suggestions to reduce carbon footprints.

EBay has its own green team of around 2,000 employees in 23 countries, led by Lorin May. A Big Green Idea contest held by eBay last year saw employees throw in ideas like car-pooling, rooftop gardens, and even waterless urinals. In an article in Environmental Leader, May suggests that green teams offer a personally meaningful way for employees to contribute to their companies and to their broader communities.

Roping in consumers
Involving clients and consumers in eco-friendly practices can be a hurdle to begin with, but companies come up with innovative solutions. The Nature’s Co is a luxury products brand that has introduced the ‘eco barrel’ concept — customers returning three empty jars or bottles of Nature’s Co products get a 10% discount and those giving back two products a 5% discount on their next purchase.

“We give our customers an e-billing option, use only recycled stationery, and are in the process of replacing paper bags with jute ones,” says Ami Gupta, brand manager of the year-old company.

The Nature’s Co also has a ‘pro-green day’ on September 15; last year, customers were given free saplings. “We have a tie-up with packaging vendors who recycle used bottles and containers which are then made into paint cans, pen caps, clips and domestic items,” says Gupta.

Monsanto, a leading agriculture company, has an environmental safety and health team responsible for organising initiatives that contribute to environmental sustainability. “As HR policy, we follow an online end-to-end recruitment system that processes all requirements without paper and an online filing system towards paperless documentation,” says Atul Sharma, HR director, Monsanto India.

Every World Environment Day, Monsanto offices across India are asked to spread awareness about the significance of conserving and protecting the environment. Other initiatives include recycled water in washrooms for flushing, segregation of office waste (plastic vs paper) and disposal through authorised agencies, auto soap dispensers, switching off air-conditioners and lights at 6pm sharp, and gifting plants to employees on birthdays.

Recently, it was reported that Dow Chemicals is saving about $4 million a year in reduced energy, maintenance and water costs; AT&T is appealing to customers to help convert a million accounts to paperless billing; and PepsiCo has reduced its water use (per unit of production) by more than 15%.