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Greening Government is a Journey
GreenWorksGov is a blog about how to organize a “green office” program and what to do to make “green” a reality. After a long career in law office administration, I am the chair of our department’s green office program which is organizationally attached to our division of administrative support. Some would say I am the sustainability officer. I don’t claim to be an environmental expert. Since I work in government and a law office, I have been able to tap into the knowledge of environmental lawyers who know quite a lot about climate change and carbon emissions. I also am part of the administrative arm of the department which affords me access to colleagues who support the business side of the operation, which is where the success of green rests.
What I bring to this blog is what I’ve learned in two years about how to get a “green office” program going on the road to success. Success includes lowering the office’s carbon footprint. It also can produce real cost savings in the long run if not the short. My aim is to reach those administrative managers in government who support the mission of their organizations, typically head up administrative support functions, and develop and implement measures that achieve the goals established by the executive leadership. If you are an administrative manager in government, I hope this blog will be a resource for you in adopting sustainable practices and achieving results.
It’s also my hope that this blog will prompt the creation of a communications network where information can be exchanged, lessons learned, and tips for success shared. As I’ve come to appreciate, we can learn a lot from each other and I learn something about this business of going green every day. One of my first lessons is that going “green” is a journey, not a destination. So consider this an invitation to journey along together and share your experiences with the group.
I’ll take up a topic for each blog and if a reader has a question, I’ll devote my blog or tweet to answering it, or at least get you in the direction of an answer. I promise. I also promise not to put “green office” or “green” in quotes ever again.
How to use this blog
The way the blogs are organized is in four categories, buildings, conserve and recycle, pollution prevention, and administrative stuff. You can search for blogs by clicking on blogs by category or blogs by date. Also, you can just click on a category and all the blogs are there for you to browse, most recent on top. If you’re new to the business of greening your office as I was, I suggest you start where I did, and head to Administrative Stuff. Scroll down to the first blog, Getting Started, issue date November 11, 2009, and work your way up the ladder. If you are beyond getting started, then check out the categories or simply enter a keyword and see what you get. I’ll be adding blogs every week.
There are a couple of other things I’d like to point out. First, we have a Resources page which lists some books, Internet sites, and dvd’s I’ve found helpful. Then there is the Contacts page which I hope will grow into a communications network of people who are working on improving and advancing sustainable business practices in their organizations.
Thanks for your interest and attention. I look forward to your company on this journey.
