Today’s blog picks up from a website I wrote about last week.  It’s not uncommon that in the course of writing one blog, I’ll discover material or information that leads me the subject of another.  Just so it was when I checked out a “Law Technology News" article that led me to EPA’s My Green Apps.  The EPA describes the site as a repository of 230 applications to “help you understand and protect the environment.”  It’s even more than that!  My Green Apps is like a green app think tank, a place to offer ideas for apps, to share existing ones that should be included on the lists, and a place to evaluate proposed apps for further development.  App developers, novices and professionals alike, can even access EPA data resources to develop new green apps or build on existing ones.

The list of green apps that are free or at nominal cost to users is organized along categorical lines and platforms, e.g. transportation and Apple, or games and Windows.  In addition, you can search for apps that relate to education (86 apps with info on climate change, calculators, geography), energy, health, and communities (which has a natural resources emphasis).  One nifty convenience is that when your cursor hovers over the name of the app, the EPA has a pop-up that gives a short description of the app.  You can fairly quickly go through the group of apps and choose the ones that interest you.  I observed that there’s a good spread among the platforms—web, Apple, Windows, Android, and Blackberry.  And many of the apps are free.  Finally, you can "Like" an idea for an app so the developers know what the public wants.  

Today is GWG’s 181^st blog.  I plan to pull out a cork when we hit 200.  I know this is the 181^st blog I’ve written, because I periodically count them up so I won’t miss the Big 200.  I think it’s worth noting, especially at numbers 181, or 162, or 215, or any numbered blog beside an anniversary date blog, that GWG reflects the idea that sustainability is a journey, not a destination.  There is not going to be an end to the story, a final blog, or a last step.  Stewardship of this planet we call home is our job in our lifetimes, until we hand it over to the next generation. 

I’ve experienced this every time I come up against a deadline for writing the next blog.  Usually, I write ahead of schedule, but occasionally I’m running behind.  For a few moments I feel a bit adrift, wondering what if I can’t think of something useful to write about.  Then, it comes to me.  I recall a website I’d bookmarked, an article I had read, or an issue I’d researched that was ready to be written up.  It never fails; there is always something to write about when it comes to sustainability. 

GreenWorksGov sprang from my interest in sharing my experience in the California Department of Justice/Office of the Attorney General starting up our Green Office program.  Also, I’d encountered resources that accelerated our learning curve and successful accomplishments, and I wanted to share them in hopes of building a community of knowledge about what works and what doesn’t and a forum for exchanging innovative ideas.  Law Technology News (LTN) is a resource I’ve tracked to stay informed on the latest trends in legal technology and how those trends and new developments intersect with the green agenda. 

The April 12 issue of LTN features “12 on 12 Ideas to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint”, by Monica Bay, editor-in-chief.  This article is of interest to everyone. The twelve ideas include environmentally- friendly steps that law firms and others have taken, equipment and technology solutions that save energy, individual actions adopted at home, and websites that deliver knowledge about environmental issues and focus on sustainable practices.  The article delivers a lot of good material in a short amount of space.  Thanks to “12 on 12…”, I learned about a site hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency, My Green Apps, that provides over 230 web and mobile apps to understand and manage carbon emissions.  The apps cover the categories of education, games, energy, transportation, health and communities.  I checked out the 25 apps for transportation and came across Waze, a traffic and navigation app that allows drivers to share real-time traffic and road info, saving fellow drivers time, gas, and emissions on their daily commutes.  There is a lot to discover on this website, and GWG will dive in with more particulars about My Green Apps next week.  

If you are looking for a template to quick start your green office program, head to Harvard’s green office website, where you’ll find numerous resources you can adapt for your workplace settings.  Sustainability at Harvard was established in 2008 with the purpose of implementing the university’s goal to achieve   by 2016, a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2006 levels.  Harvard’s program encompasses all aspects of university operations, facilities, and academics.  Faculty, students, and staff are supported by numerous programs and opportunities to get involved and help Harvard become more sustainable.

According to Harvard’s website, “The Green Office Program provides information, outreach materials, and fact sheets to help offices use less resources, purchase green products, and lessen their carbon footprint.”  The program’s web pages are easy to navigate and offer offices and their green teams a roadmap to success.  Want to green-up the kitchen?  Get ideas and tips here.  Find more green practices for purchasing, waste reduction, energy, printing/publication, recycling, and transportation. 

I really appreciate Harvard’s Green Tip of the Month resources, which are posters and emails for each month of the year.  It’s updated annually with pertinent facts, upcoming events, and a green tip to implement at work or home.  Click on the month and the user can print a pdf poster to print or share and an email that conveys the monthly message and info.  Join Harvard’s email list to get the tip of the month and updates and news. 

Harvard’s Sustainability Pledge, which is a great idea to pair up with Earth Day, a plant sale, or lunchtime green topic presentation, serves to invite staff to make or renew a commitment to sustainable working and living.  Also, it is in the form of a checklist, so it is a crash course all by itself on the things one can do to lower their carbon footprint. 

Four levels of green office certification allow for early recognition of start-up efforts and achievement for offices which have adopted advanced and comprehensive green practices.  I like this stepped program, because it reflects an understanding for the reality that some offices will come along slower than others, yet everyone’s progress merits applause.

Finally, if you’re looking for a sample presentation for new employees or an outline of your program for a lunchtime seminar, check out Harvard’s PowerPoint presentation that you can tailor to your office’s needs. 

Earth Day is the biggest green day of the year around the world.  It offers green teams both a challenge and an opportunity.  Ideally, your green team can sponsor a special event to draw attention to the ways that employees can green the office and their homes.  Host a plant sale, set up a copier for “drafts” using paper that’s been printed on one side, have a “walk up-walk down” day to minimize using elevators, invite a speaker from a local water district to discuss water issues and conservation, provide a list of local farmers’ markets, collect plastic bags and roll them into a ball for a visual effect, hold a book and magazine swap, a vintage clothing or bargain sale to encourage re-use and re-purpose, start a collection and disposal program for old batteries.  The list is endless.  Need more ideas?  Check out this list of things to do at ehow.com.

Opportunities abound to participate in local Earth Day events held in April and even into May. Here’s a listing of just a few links to events being planned in Nashville, Washington, DC, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Seattle-Tacoma, and Richmond, VA.  In Los Angeles, Earth Day events kick off in April and WorldFest 2013 will be on May 19.

This year’s Earth Day theme is The Face of Climate Change. The focus is on the people, animals, and places already affected by climate change. The Earth Day organization is telling the stories on their website along with what is being done and the challenges to be overcome. Share the Earth Day website in your office newsletter and Intranet and invite staff to be part of the solution to the problem.

GWG would like to share your ideas and experiences with successful Earth Day activities.  Just use the Comments section at the bottom of the page.    

In keeping with my stated plan for GreenWorksGov to focus on indoor air quality issues over the course of 2013, I kicked off the series by writing several blogs on the topic of fragrance in the workplace and the risks of exposure to the combinations of chemicals emitted in buildings, especially for those with acute sensitivities.   I would like to return to the overall subject of indoor air quality, because we spend about 90% of our time indoors.  According to the EPA, indoor levels of pollutants may be two to five times higher, and occasionally more than 100 times higher, than outdoor levels.  With about 6 million office buildings in the US, this subject is worth our attention. 

Until I started working on sustainability goals and projects, my dealings with indoor air quality were pretty much limited to addressing employee complaints about hot or cold spots in their work areas.  Those issues and others related to facilities management were the purview of the building manager; if it was a health and safety issue, for example, poor ventilation in a duplicating unit, then our HR unit got involved, too.  Since learning about climate change, the factors contributing to our carbon footprint, and what we can do to mitigate and lessen the damage to our environment caused by pollutants and contaminants, I have a much broader view of the role buildings have in energy conservation, water savings, toxics reduction, waste management, and yes, the quality of the air we breathe. 

So I’ve come to the conclusion that indoor air quality is a subject that green teams and sustainability officers need to have some knowledge about.  Builders, developers, tradesmen, and facility management personnel have seen major changes in their industry in the past two decades with the emergence of green buildings and the shift to environmentally sound building design, siting, construction, demolition, renovation, retrofitting, HVAC systems, plumbing, painting, flooring, landscaping, and other aspects of commercial and office space.

Green teams can collaborate productively with facilities managers to pool knowledge, exchange ideas, and provide input on proposed building improvements and offer solutions to known issues.  As sustainability becomes a core component of the organization or business, decision-makers will seek the assistance of sustainability officers.  Also, close coordination will help to ensure that reporting and regulatory compliance standards are met.

Here are some annotated resources on the general topic of indoor air quality that I found especially good:

US Dept. of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration.  This is an up-to-date portal with access to basic information and links to other resources.

DOL, OSHA publication, 2011.  Excellent!  Indoor Air Quality 101.  If you only read one thing, read this.

The Centers for Disease Control writes about indoor air quality and health-related concerns. 

EPA’s page on indoor air quality and large buildings.

EPA’s page on green building—good basic info on what is meant by “green building”. Good links.

This is a useful guide for what building occupants should know and can do, but somewhat dated (1997).