Sharing the Love for Green

Around my office, I’ve earned a reputation for being green. Sometimes I think I startle coworkers when I unexplainably grab pop bottles out of the trash to take to the recycling bin. Others have also had the misfortune of throwing away a pop bottle or piece of paper in front of me. I wear my emotions on my sleeves, so you can imagine the horror on my face when this transpires in front of me.

Because I think that these actions ultimately cause some coworkers to feel guilty, they often feel compelled to rationalize their actions: “It’s just a habit to throw paper away.” “I recycle at home, but I hate walking down to the kitchen at work just to recycle a plastic bottle.” Etcetera, etcetera.

While for some time I’ve been leading by example, I’ve decided that it’s time to ramp up my efforts around here. I started today by finding an empty box and donating it to a good-intentioned coworker for her personal paper recycling. I have the same system at my desk. I throw paper into it daily, and when it gets full, I carry it down to the recycling bin to empty it.

While I realize that this is just a small step, I hope that I can continue to impact changes like this throughout my office. Even if that means collecting boxes and distributing them to each and every coworker for their personal paper recycling.