Bring your inner hippy to work

Caring about the environment used to seem like something reserved for people who live in tepees. It wasn’t cool. Now though, You can embrace that compassionate side and even bring it to work. Because businesses need a nudge too.

Climate change. What a shitter. But rather than bang on about it, let’s picture something a little different.

You’re lying on your back, enjoying the breeze as you drift on calm ocean waves.  The cool air on your face is relaxing, and the gentle floating motion almost sends you to sleep. You can’t remember how long you’ve been floating, but it’s probably as long as the rest of the people on the raft.

To be honest, you count yourself lucky. There’s a doctor, a teacher, a policeman, all sorts of respectable types. But that’s not the luckiest thing.

This raft beneath you. It’s not wood. Or inflatable. It’s gingerbread. God damn tasty gingerbread. Rumours are it was made from an old lady’s house in a forest (yep, it’s a tenuous Hansel and Gretel reference).

Every day, you’ve been breaking a little chunk off and eating it. In fact, everyone has. It’s delicious. And it’s not been a problem until now. But the raft has been slowly shrinking - these small actions everyday have added up. And if you carry on, there’s a strong chance you’re all going to drown. Doh.

You’ve got three options:

1. Carry on and pretend everything is OK.

2. Stop the gingerbread munching yourself and try and catch some food.

3. Get everyone to lay off the g-bread and all commit to a better way.

You try the first option, but the situation continues to get worse. Denial solves nothing.

You try the second option, and feel good that you’re doing something positive. But you realise that no one else has changed, so your fate is still looking bleak.

Finally, you get everyone together, come up with alternatives and agree a better way forward. And guess what, you all live happily after. Despite some underlying health problems from eating gingerbread for every meal.

Make a difference at work

Daft analogy, but still apt. We’re all contributing towards something that affects us all.

If you care for the environment, you have kids, or you’re just a conscientious and compassionate person, then you’re probably already doing things to have a better impact on the planet. Which is awesome.

If you’re like me – those things tend to centre more around home life and family. So how does that translate to work?

Set that work hippy free

If you’re a financial director, or head of HR, then there’s a lot you can do. You have influence and you can make key decisions to move the business the right way.

But whoever you are, you can make a difference by talking about this stuff. Big changes start with small steps (come on, there’s always space for a cheesy phrase).

Ready? Here we go.

1. Start factoring the environment into key decision making. Things will only improve when cost isn’t the only factor. Make ethical and morally responsible decisions part of your key values and behaviours - so they shape how the business behaves from the top down to the bottom.

2. Use a net-zero pension. Pension investment funds everything from fossil fuels to deforestation. Most are aiming to be better in the next 30 years, but companies like Cushon are doing it now.

3. Start a climate change group. If your business doesn’t have an environmental employee group already, why not start one. Together you can help move the business in a better direction.

4. Switch to non-dairy milk. Most businesses consume a lot of tea and coffee. The dairy industry is a big contributor to climate change. Moving to a milk alternative will have a positive impact (and I can recommend some sort of oat barrister).

5. Remove single use stuff. Plastic bottles cause environmental problems, but the whole single-use culture is the real issue. Start questioning what you’re buying and whether it’s worth it. Paper, plastics, branded stress balls – it’s time to think more practically.

6. Work with environmentally aware companies. There’s no point you getting better and then giving your money to companies contributing to the problem. So look for like-minded partners. Organisations like Amba can revolutionise your benefit offering to bring it in line with your environmental aspirations. And businesses like Sureworks can help you transition to a fleet of electric vehicles.

7. Recycle more. Goes without saying really. But yeah, I said it.

8. Be energy conscious. Make sure the business is on a renewable energy plan, and look at ways to reduce your use across your locations.

9. Support charities with similar aspirations. It’s great to support the community and other good causes, but some are still part of the problem. Charities like A Well Fed World aim to remove starvation through sustainable methods.

10. Reduce meat. The animal agriculture impact on climate change is huge. Introduce more plant-based alternatives and phase out the meat options.

But the main takeaway is this. Talk about this stuff as a business. It’s one thing making a change yourself (and massive kudos if you have made changes), but changes that impact 50 people, or 500, will do a whole lot more.

So, take it easy on the gingerbread, embrace your hippy vibes and let’s treat our workplaces like we do our homes – with awareness, responsibility and a view to a positive future 💪