Building A Green Team

How do we start?

• Get senior level support (Owner, President) and make it known throughout your organization/company that you have this support.

• Recruit team members.

• Evaluate what environmental practices are already in place. Are you in compliance?

• Facility manager – person who handles heating, cooling, maintenance, parking lots.

• Purchasing decision-maker• If you lease, ask your commercial property

manager to participate in some way.• Representatives from each department. • Designate one person to coordinate.

Team Members?

• Don’t assume anything—walk around. Check stormwater outflows, hazardous waste (fluorescent lighting), fleets, waste, energy use? Dumpster dive!

http

://po

litic

alhu

mor

.abo

ut.c

om

Environmental Policy Statement

• Look at other company’s environmental policies as examples.

• Write it down and frame it, put it in the lobby where customers can see it.

• Post it on your website.• Inform your employees.• Don’t bury it in a book, post it where staff and

your customers an be reminded of it on a regular basis.

• Conduct a short in-house training on environmental aspects and impacts for team.

• Regulatory requirements vs. voluntary best practices. 10% vs. 90%

• DDOE can help with basic best practices and direct you to help for specific sectors.

Write an Environmental Plan

• Keep it simple – recommend 10 steps or practices.

• Take notes of your meeting and share with the staff.

• Don’t try to do everything; people will get “tired” – the deadly green fatigue.

What’s in the Plan?

Recycling

Waste reduction

Energy efficiency retrofits

Reduce water consumption

Stormwater Best Management Practices

Green purchasing

Materials substitution

Purchase renewable energy

Environmental compliance

E-cycling

“Green meetings”Carbon offsets

Green roofIPM/landscaping

Measure• Track your data (gallons, kilowatts, btus,

miles). Energy efficiency expressed as GHGs reduced.

• Track the difference – show that your efforts help the “bottom line” of the company.

• Reduce risk, reduce costs, save money $$$.

Share your story

• Write a case study – good or bad

• Post it on the website

• Network with similar business types facing similar pollution/waste issues. “You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.”

• Apply for an award – Mayor’s Environmental Excellence Awards

Questions? Comments? Contact:Mary Lynn WilhereBusiness OutreachOffice of the DirectorGovernment of the District of ColumbiaDistrict Department of the Environment51 N Street, NE, 6th FloorWashington, DC  20002Office: 202-535-1939Marylynn.wilhere@dc.govwww.green.dc.gov