How can I create positive disruption to draw attention to "green"?
Asked by
jsc3791 (
1988
)
February 25th, 2009
I am going to be designing a “green week” at my place of employment, to start some buzz about a project I am working on.
I always turn to you guys for creative ideas, so I am wondering…
What can I do to draw sort of subtly shock my fellow associates about some of their behaviors and how they are impacting the environment?
Example, I am thinking of creating a paper trail with stacks of paper that people have printed and then left on the printer all week. This will help illustrate wastefulness.
Example #2, my teammates and I are going to dress as the 4 elements (earth, wind, fire, water) and disseminate factoids about usage throughout the day or week.
What other ways can I create an impact or visually represent my message?
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5 Answers
I’m sorry if this comes across as harsh, but #2 is a lame idea. It sounds like something straight out of ‘The Office’.
It is, however, a noble cause.
I believe in promoting the alternatives as a method of highlighting wastefulness. Perhaps a mini-campaign on the use of PDF printing instead of printing to hard copy, the introduction of various kinds of recycling options in the kitchen / office… Little notes on the front door about being the last one out and thus switching the lights out.
It’s easier to change by action than hearing someone ‘disseminate factoids’.
I’m not sure what you mean by “paper trail” but you will definitely get the best response from secretly collecting wasted materials from around your office and doing something creative with them.
I do it myself, actually. I recycle things and all. Telling other people: The best way is to start them off with someting very simple.
You might get some creative ideas here.
Start a Freecycle bulletin board. Paint it green. Post the concept in plain sight.
Hand out green waxed-paper lunch bags with your co-workers’ names stenciled on them; bring new ones each Monday and trade them for the old ones — and recycle the old ones. (Or invest in reusable and recyclable plastic sandwich/lunch containers for everyone and stencil their names on those.)
Bring a big green paper recycling bin and put it next to the printer. Weigh the bin empty and when it’s full, just before you take it to a paper recycling dumpster, weigh it again and announce somehow how much paper (and or how many trees) the office has recycled and saved.
Get a supply of (recycled and recyclable) cloth shopping bags and stencil the company logo on them with Sharpies. (Don’t have them printed; it’s wasteful and the inks can be not great for the environment.) Hand out a bag to anyone who demonstrates “right (green) thought” and publicly bestow a “green award” on the person who collects the most in a week.
Have fun and good luck: This is all going to go over big around St. Patrick’s Day!
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