Green. Eco-friendly. Sustainability.
In this day and age, we’ve heard all the terms before. But do we know what they really mean? How do they differ?
We may know a little about the first two, but sustainability is a lot more complex. It’s a matter of adopting a lifestyle that minimizes – or even removes – our direct and indirect impact on the environment. For all of us at E. B. Lane, that is taking the form of recycling plastic bottles and cans, saving energy, conserving water, minimizing waste, and realizing the savings that can result from a smaller carbon footprint.
Personally, I cannot say that I’ve always worried about the environment. For me, that life-changing focus began about 8 years ago when I noticed how much paper the ad agency I worked for was wasting. It wasn’t an intentional act. None of us were thinking about the long-term effect, losing ourselves in the daily routine. Since then, I’ve been consistently asking myself what more I can do to change my personal habits and influence those of the people around me. It’s not a quick or easy process by any means, but every little step we take in the right direction is valuable.
We live by decisions we make every day. As influencers, those decisions can create a domino effect – one that creates a chain of friends, family and colleagues inspiring others. I’m not ashamed to say it: It makes me proud to hear that people around the halls of E. B. Lane and beyond are changing their habits. It’s one of the reasons many of us felt compelled to create our Green Team. Certainly, E. B. Lane has taken more than a few measures to live in harmony with our environment over the years, but this intentional step has stirred a passion in all of us to do more.
Here are just a few ways we’ve influenced our corner of the world:
- One Blue bin for cans and plastic bottles (Glad to see it’s getting filled pretty quickly.)
- Two blue bins for printer cartridge, one in the 733 building and the other one in the 725 building. The cartridges are then donated to Phoenix organizations in need (How’s that for a win-win?)
- EBL is getting everyone on board with direct deposit for payroll periods.
- EBL started buying eco-friendly supplies where possible and appropriate, including pens made out of recycled material and reusable water bottles for all employees.
- The number of EBLers and clients using e-signatures is growing by the day. it’s quicker and easier to file than signed documents. If you can use this feature, feel free join the club. Just let us know, and we can help.
And here are a few, simple ways you can influence your tribes as well:
- Turn off the lights when leaving a room.
- Turn off your computer when you leave your office. It saves money and CO2, plus your computer gets a good rest.
- Throw your water bottles and soda cans in any big blue recycling bins you see.
- When we get past summer and the days get cooler again, close your curtains at dusk. This will keep heat from escaping through windows.
- Replace ordinary light bulbs with energy-saving bulbs that use a quarter of the electricity to produce the same amount of light.
So what are you doing to keep the world around you healthy? What are some cool steps that you’ve seen other organizations take? All suggestions are good ones, so chime in below.
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