Tips for Growing a Green Organization
Every business, it seems, is either going green or planning to green up. With energy and transportation costs steadily rising and global resources decreasing, it makes increasing economic (and efficiency) sense to implement green business programs. Marketing these programs and practices is proving to be a savvy step, as well, and is attracting – even in a recession – a growing variety of consumers and citizens interested in sustainability.
John Kain
Of course, going green helps the environment, too; no matter which side of the global warming issue you are on, you can likely agree that decreasing pollution is good for humans and good for the earth.
Yet, one might ask (and it’s a fine first question), what does “going green” really mean? Fundamentally, going green means reducing your carbon footprint and striving for carbon neutrality (or a net zero carbon footprint). Carbon neutrality means removing as much carbon dioxide (or equivalent greenhouse gases) from the atmosphere as one puts in.
Some organizations appear to be succeeding in this effort. Google now claims to be completely carbon neutral. Patagonia buys 100% of its electricity from renewable energy sources, and Dell claims carbon neutrality for its global electricity use. Many other companies are doing much the same and, necessarily, are including their records and information management (RIM) programs in the process.
Particularly, though, going green means many different things to different businesses – from protecting thousands of acres of rain forest in the Amazon to using recycled copy paper, and from establishing a home work program to lessen commute hours to replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lighting (CFL). Actually, one of the great things about going green is that small steps often equal big returns, especially for a sizable company. Wal-Mart set goal of selling just one CFL to each of its 100 million customers, and within a little over a year it did just that, translating to $3 billion in energy savings.
Needless to say, RIM programs can have a deep impact on the carbon footprint and cost savings of businesses. Most obviously, RIM practices have a direct and immediate impact on business paper usage. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cites that the life cycle of one ton of office paper (40 cartons), from production to recycling, results in the release of about nine tons of carbon dioxide or equivalent gases.
Or, seen from another angle, the production of one ton of uncoated, virgin, non-recycled printing and office paper uses 24 trees. If your RIM program can reduce paper usage by one ton annually over 10 years, it can quickly add up to real environmental and financial savings.
Get the Lay of the Land
The good news is that if you have a comprehensive, efficient, and well-run RIM program you are already contributing to the greening of the planet by reducing material waste, space allocation, and energy usage. Yet, even with a stellar program, there is always room for] improvement.
The first step in either instigating or improving green practices is to conduct an environmental RIM self-assessment – taking your green temperature. In establishing a green benchmark, you can get a clear sense of green opportunities, see the areas in most need of green expansion, realize and better understand your existing green metrics, and create a preliminary map that will lead the way in diminishing your carbon footprint.
There are a few RIM green self-assessment tools available on the Web and elsewhere, but most of them are associated with a product or service and are usually skewed to that end. Though a solid self-assessment template is provided in the next section, you should input some of your own metrics into the equation. There are, of course, constants in every RIM program, but each business in each industry gives rise to specific RIM structures, practices, and policies. A law firm’s RIM program will have certain green challenges not found in a small tech startup, for example.
While putting to use this information, you should also explore the EPA’s website and click its link “Protect the Environment: At Work” for a wealth of good green information and common sense. The EPA’s WasteWise and EnergyStar programs are also invaluable resources and offer partnering programs. See the sidebar below for a list of other pertinent resources.
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Test the Soil
The following self-assessment for green RIM programs consists of 10 questions. The topics covered are generally the core issues common to most RIM practices, but they are by no means exhaustive; feel free to revise and morph the assessment to your own circumstances and try to get as granular as possible.
Some of the assessment areas do not fall under the strict purview of RIM programs and thus will give a broader read on your company’s green practices (if any). Finding cases of deficiency in these broader areas will offer opportunities for RIM programs to take the lead in promoting a greener business.
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Does your RIM program use recycled materials (e.g., copy and office paper, file boxes and folders, pens and pencils, notepads)?
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How much of your RIM program is digital? (This includes, for example, policies to encourage personnel to keep and retain records in electronic format, electronic imaging and transmission of records, electronic version control of records, discouragement of printing e-mails, and scanning and imaging of legacy records.)
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Do you have a comprehensive and legally compliant record retention schedule that is followed consistently? (This allows for continuous and accurate record disposition, efficient record lifecycle management, control of record input volumes, and reductions in record duplication.)
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Does your organization have a recycling and reuse program (e.g., recycling office paper products, shredded records, printer cartridges, beverage containers, electronic equipment, and batteries, as well as using doublesided printing, when possible)?
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Of the materials used in your RIM program, how much is biodegradable (e.g., packaging material, tape, plastic folders and plastic in general, labels, trash bags, toner)?
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How efficient are your data servers? (To find out, perform data server energy-efficiency assessment.)
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How green is your work environment? (For example, do you use energy efficient, Energy Star qualified, computers, copiers, and printers? Do you use any compact fluorescent lighting? Is your HVAC system Energy Star qualified? Do you have a policy to encourage turning off lights when not needed?)
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Do you have policies to reduce personnel commute and drive hours? (For example, does your organization allow stay-at-home work days, install carpooling and ride boards, promote public transportation, discourage driving by establishing bag lunch/cafeteria days, or offer bicycle-friendly storage areas and racks?)
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How green is your storage? (For example, are you maximizing storage potential for a given floor space for both on- and off-site facilities, minimizing drive hours for file delivery and retrieval from off-site facilities, and using reusable and/or expandable file folders and reusable storage boxes?)
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How green are your vendors? (A RIM program is not a closed loop, therefore information management vendors should be scrutinized using a similar green assessment tool.)
Stake Out Your Plot
Through the self-assessment, you’ve now received a solid grasp of your green capabilities – or lack thereof. Your responses to the assessment questions can be used as a roadmap for your next step of developing a list of green action points and, if you so choose, a green management plan.
As mentioned earlier, small steps lead to big changes, so when you develop your going-green process, avoid broad strokes in the beginning. Use common sense by first changing the areas that are the simplest, least costly, and cause the least amount of upheaval. Few people like big changes all at once (if indeed that is the way your green plan points).
Design your plan in increments. Convert your assessment questions and answers into a list of going green tips or actions, as in the following top-10 example:
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Purchase RIM program supplies that are made from at least 30% recycled content.
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Manage and distribute electronic documents to save paper and storage space. Digitize hard copy documents.
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Implement a recycling program for things like paper, plastics, and electronics. Reuse materials when possible. Create an EPA Partnership in the WasteWise Program.
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Purchase green, biodegradable products.
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Assess and hire vendors based on green practices.
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Print draft documents double-sided.
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Minimize duplicate copies.
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Increase data center efficiency through best practices and operational improvements.
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Create a comprehensive and legally compliant records retention schedule.
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Establish work-at-home days.
Fertilize for Growth
Green programs supported with real-world data and explained with anecdotal evidence will often sell themselves if they are clearly and simply communicated. The best way to initiate the conversation is to get people involved in your green RIM program from the beginning. Build green teams to help develop the self-assessment tool, have brainstorming sessions with various departments to get their green ideas, and create a carbon footprint contest to encourage green ideas; try anything to make it fun.
Once you’ve developed your list of green actions and/or a green management plan, carry out the implementation with assistance from your “green teams.”
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Create posters and tip cards.
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Publish your own “top ten tips for going green.”
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Rewrite your record management policies and procedures to include any new green practices.
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Designate a green day once a month to raise awareness about your program.
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Publish a green fact list to underscore your green goals (e.g., one ton of paper equals 24 trees, so save a forest).
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Invite green-oriented vendors to come and speak to your teams about their programs.
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Keep repeating the three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle.
Keep It Green
Going green means you’re in it for the long haul – sustainability is a good and sensible business practice, and going green is nothing if not sustainable. Upfront costs are always outweighed by the long-term green benefits in terms of marketing and branding, longer-term cost savings, and a healthy earth. With depleting worldwide energy resources and increased demand for energy from developing countries, the price of doing business has skyrocketed. Any way a company can reduce its carbon footprint – therefore decreasing its energy and materials cost – is a positive way to affect its bottom line, as well as the environment.
Implementing a green RIM program can be a seamless and natural transition. And, it is in line with a RIM program’s original mission to help support the company’s sustainability, legal viability, and cost-effectiveness. Go green!
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John Kain can be contacted at jrkain@pelligroup.com.
From May - June 2010