Commentary: To learn more about how you can GREEN your business operations, you can find a Local Green Irene Eco-Consultant to get a Green Office Makeover done. This will also provide you access to Ask Green Irene, a green knowledge database that contains information about almost anything you could think about related to Going GREEN. The first step in greening your business is a Green Office Makeover, so find a Local Eco-Consultant today!

Article excerpted from GreenBiz.com.

While not a new trend, employee engagement in corporate greening is gaining ground and emerging as a strong force to move corporate social responsibility forward. While some may think of it as a new hassle, the fresh perspective and new ideas resulting from employee engagement inject vitality into business operations. It forces employees to work out some boundary conditions in teams around areas like setting corporate policy and public relations, promoting collaboration that benefit the business and its employees.

Typically, the members of these teams have little or no involvement in the official corporate environmental or sustainability efforts. They are environmentally minded individuals who are driven to green their lives at home and work. More than a common interest club, these teams want to change the way their business functions. Usually, it starts with the most visible items, such as cafeteria waste, lighting, commuting, and landscape irrigation. After some success with these items, these groups can transition into influencing corporate business practices from design to manufacturing to purchasing and more.

Looking ahead, employee engagement in corporate sustainability will continue to grow as the “millennials” (young folks) enter the workforce. The next generation may the greenest yet, having been raised with Captain Planet, Mom’s Prius and curbside recycling. The folks in HR have not missed the trend and are becoming big fans of the sustainability group. A recent survey found that American workers are paying growing attention to companies’ environmental policies and an increasing number (36 percent) report that they would be more inclined to work for “green” companies.

The bottom line: a key benefit of corporate sustainability programs may be the engagement and retaining of its employees. Increasingly, sustainability is becoming a tool to recruit, retain, inspire, and motivate your workforce.

You know that the time is right. You are ready to have your business go green, but you can’t figure out how to do it. As a manager, you don’t really have the time or expertise to figure out how to assess what needs to be done in your business to go green. Green Irene can help you figure out how to go green… by designating your own Green Office Team!

If you are ready to take the first steps to go green, you should first have a Green Office Makeover. This first important step can help you identify aspects of your operations that can have the biggest bang for the buck. It will also provide you access to other Green Irene services, such as Ask Green Irene, our comprehensive green knowledgebase. Once you take this first step, you may be ready to designate a Green Office Team that will be in charge of completely greening your operations.

Designating a green office team is not easy, however. You need to first learn how to assess your needs before designating responsibilities and clearly lay out what these responsibilities will be. Green Irene’s guide to designating green officers, available through Ask Green Irene, can help you figure these key steps out. You don’t have to waste your time researching information about green officers and the role they should play. Green Irene has done the research for you and has compiled it in an accessible way to help you take the critical steps right away.

To learn more, ask your local Green Irene Eco-Consultant. But don’t wait any longer; begin greening your business today!

With green becoming mainstream in the operations of thousands of businesses, you may be wondering what else you can do to further green up. Most offices tend to organize regular events for various reasons. Ever thought your event had a significant environmental impact? Have you ever considered not only greening your event, but cutting event costs at the same time as you green up? You don’t have to think too much any longer; we’re here to help.

Green Irene offers a Green Office Event Checklist. The Checklist allows you to identify aspects of your office’s event that have a significant environmental impact based on categories, such as choosing a venue accessible by public transportation, sending e-mail invitations, and using reusable silverware, and then prepare for them in advance by following the specific recommendations for those items you identify.

Whether your event is in your office or in a large venue, you can identify specific targets for which you can prepare in advance to help you achieve real measurable results. The Checklist provides recommendations to help you reduce energy use and carbon emissions, cut on waste and save resources, and educate your guests, all while reducing your overall costs.

Green Irene believes that greening your event is not just responsible, but also saves you money by eliminating unnecessary costs and sets you apart as a green leader. To find more about the Green Office Event Checklist, ask your Local Green Irene Eco-Consultant.