The Green Workplace Sustainable Strategies that Benefit Employees, the Environment, and the Bottom Line

by Stringer, Leigh

• ISBN13: 9780230614284
• ISBN10: 0230614280
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-08-04
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Summary

As 21st-century companies realize they'll need to be green to compete, sustainable ideas are spreading like wildfire throughout all fields of modern business. InThe Green Workplace, Leigh Stringer, an expert on sustainable workplace design and strategy, shows companies on the cusp of radically transforming their practices how to bring together diverse teams and establish new organizational governance for creative problem-solving in greening their workplace. Her hands-on green strategies are based on concrete and cost-effective changes such as: - working from home - ways to cut commuting costs - video conferencing to cut down on travel - increasing access to natural light to save energy - and more. Stringer explains how managers can implement these changes smoothly and efficiently. In solving key problems, she shows companies how a green business reduces costs, increases productivity, improves recruiting and retention, and increases shareholder value, in addition to benefiting the environment.

Author Biography

Leigh Stringer is a LEED® Accredited Professional and a workplace and sustainability expert at HOK, a global architectural firm. She has been a featured speaker at numerous design and construction industry events for the U.S. Green Building Council, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and CoreNet Global.  In 2007, she was named to the list of “40 Under 40” top industry professionals by Building Design + Construction magazine.

In addition to appearances on CNN,  published articles in USA Today, CoreNet’s Leader magazine, Building Operating Management, and Consulting-Specifying Engineer, Stringer is the founder and editor of TheGreenWorkplace.com, a blog dedicated to sharing ideas about greening the workplace through space, technology and change management.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
The Case for Change	p. 1
Driving Forces for Change	p. 5
The Workplace Challenge	p. 7
New Ways of Working	p. 7
Consider the Commute	p. 8
The Impact of a Green Workplace	p. 9
Creating Value	p. 9
Mitigating Risk	p. 14
The Future Has Arrived	p. 18
The Global Picture	p. 21
Our "Supersized" Ecological Footprint	p. 22
Our Addiction to Oil	p. 26
Throwing It All Away	p. 29
Poor Indoor Air Quality	p. 31
Emissions	p. 33
Greening the Organization	p. 37
The Power of the Grassroots	p. 38
Reward Systems	p. 39
Measurement	p. 42
New Roles and Responsibilities	p. 46
Partnerships	p. 51
Centralized versus Decentralized Structure	p. 53
Making Green Stick	p. 54
Your Green Road Map	p. 59
Getting Started	p. 60
Mobilization	p. 61
Diagnosis and Discovery	p. 65
Strategy and Program Development	p. 68
Implications and Recommendations	p. 71
Implement, Measure, and Adjust	p. 73
The High-Performance Green Workplace	p. 75
Encouraging Green Behavior	p. 77
Green Change Management	p. 78
Benefits of Change Management	p. 79
Green Profiling	p. 80
Identifying Resistance	p. 86
Tying Green Behavior to Process	p. 89
Actions You Can Take Today	p. 99
Green Recruiting	p. 101
Green Branding and Organizational Culture	p. 103
Recruiting Venues	p. 106
Job Descriptions	p. 106
Green Benefits	p. 108
Greening the Recruiting Process	p. 110
Keeping Green Talent	p. 112
Actions You Can Take Today	p. 113
Leveraging Technology	p. 115
Enabling More Efficient and Effective Work	p. 116
Mass Collaboration	p. 124
Technology Influencing Behavior	p. 127
Smart Buildings	p. 130
Alternative Energy Technology	p. 134
Actions You Can Take Today	p. 135
Greening Operations	p. 137
Measure Twice, Cut Once	p. 138
Buying Wisely	p. 140
Saving Energy and Water	p. 144
Waste Not, Want Not	p. 147
Unusual Partnerships	p. 150
Actions You Can Take Today	p. 153
Transformative Design	p. 155
New Ways of Thinking	p. 156
Transformative Design in Buildings	p. 161
Design Influencing Green Behavior	p. 165
Designing a Productive, Green Workplace	p. 168
Actions You Can Take Today	p. 175
Changing When, Where, and How You Work	p. 177
The Shift	p. 178
What Is Alternative Work?	p. 182
Candidates for Alternative Work	p. 188
Cultural Assessment	p. 190
The Implications of Alternative Work	p. 190
Transportation Demand Management	p. 194
Corporate Travel	p. 198
Integrating TDM into the Business	p. 198
Actions You Can Take Today	p. 201
The Green Workplace of the Future	p. 203
Predictions	p. 205
Moving Forward	p. 213
Notes	p. 217
Index	p. 229
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