Your Sustain Ability

You have the power to save the world.  It starts with you.

By Joey Reiman

"The beginnings of all great things are small."

Cicero

 

It all begins with sustaining yourself – getting healthier and happier, becoming a well being.

 

An Inconvenient Truth, though the truth, made sustainability, well, inconvenient. It was frustrating to consider how we as a planet could all get together, sync up and put a freeze on global warming. But to think that I can make a difference by helping myself, my family and my friends is nowhere near as daunting as planting a million trees, or saving the polar ice cap and the bears that live there. The cool thing is that if each of us puts energy into just one act, the Earth will have an Act Two.

 

It's official. We've moved from insane abilities to "sustain abilities." These random acts of greenness promise to change world behavior. In fact, major organizations, from The Coca-Cola Co. to Wal-Mart, are now creating programs and activities that encourage employees to use their sustain abilities.

 

Organizations that don't walk the walk run the risk of greenwashing, or creating a flimsy façade of sustainability for good PR only. The real sustainability movement is an inside-outside job, starting with being the message, doing it daily and, finally, telling everyone else.

 

In the September.October 2008 issue of PINK, we share examples of five companies (Wal-Mart, Seventh Generation, Gap, Patagonia and The Coca-Cola Co.) and their leading women who "be, do and tell." Here are three more great examples.

 

Interface

Lina Marshall, yarn prep operator

Her company: At Marshall's suggestion the company expanded its Cool Co2mmute program, a voluntary initiative that deducts from employees' paychecks the cost of offsetting the carbon output of their daily commutes, from corporate headquarters to all locations. Currently 43 percent participate.

Herself: Marshall is working with her community to make recycling accessible for residents. She makes her own cleaning supplies out of vinegar, water and baking soda.

What you can do: "Recycle your carpet." For every 1,000 square feet of carpet recycled, you save 440 gallons of oil and divert 4,500 pounds of waste from landfills, according to the Carpet America Recovery Effort.

 

Nestlé

Betsy Cohen, vice president, Nestlé sustainability

Her company: Each employee at Nestlé Purina's corporate office has her own recycling bin next to her trash can. The company asks each of the more than 2,000 individuals to walk their recycled goods to the large bin at the end of the hallway each afternoon.

Herself: Cohen runs multiple errands at the same time to eliminate unnecessary carbon emissions, and her family has one meatless meal each week.

What you can do: "Don't forget to recycle pet food cans." Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours, according to the National Recycling Coalition.

 

Georgia-Pacific

Deborah Baker, vice president, sustainable forestry

Her company: At its corporate headquarters, Georgia-Pacific installed large recycling bins on each floor of the parking garage so employees can bring recyclable items from home for responsible disposal at work. On days before an expected smog alert, it posts signs in the lobby to let employees know to carpool or telecommute the next day.

Herself: Baker recycles, insists that her family turn off lights, and refuses to cut down the trees "hiding" her house. "They shelter my home," she says.

What you can do: "Install coreless tissue dispensers in your company bathrooms to help employees save paper." This alone can eliminate up to 8.5 pounds of daily waste, or nearly twice the average total waste a person generates each day, according to Georgia-Pacific.