Sustainability Mojo
It has become very trendy to trade on you or your company's "sustainability mojo". Companies across the board are trumpeting how they recycle the odd plastic cup and are undertaking programes to encourage staff to print double sided when actually these are token efforts used to divert attention from the fact that they are dodging initiatives which would make a real difference but require some up front investment.
Personally, I think this is an alarming trend with more an more companies exploiting sustanability without actually contributing to it and still getting brand benefit. When I was at one of the Big 4, it was a real challenge to get environmentally-friendly operational efficiencies introduced. For example, default double-sided printing was vehemently resisted as it was decided that this might infringe on people’s inalienable right to print single-sided and removing people's bins to encourage recycling was seen as being too nazi’esk (this particularly stung as I am German). Whatever happened to the day that people simply did what their companies told them to do or get fired? Is all that we have to show for years of labour reform, a lazy and uncooperative workforce that can’t be fired?
My opinion is that society (let's start with the UK) shouldn’t have the right to choose to be environmentally friendly in the workplace, but be forced to. This is not because I favour dictatorial workplaces, but rather that, in line with previous comments on the inherent laziness of the human race, and the fact that being environmentally friendly is considered by many to be inconvenient, people won’t choose an environmentally course of action by their own free will. Unless, of course, they are already drowning and choking in pollution and trash, at which point it is too late anyway.
It baffles me that anyone, particularly those with children, would consciously behave in a way that has been proven to not only jeopardises their own future, but certainly the future of their children.
So the message is... Get a life, recycle, save energy and don't waste stuff. It doesn't only protect the environment, but will save you and your company (which will hopefully manifest itself in your bonus) a packet.