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.
Morning Glory Muffins
11 years ago
