Tom O’Brien, Lecturer in the Environmental Performance of Buildings at WIT, who was involved in the design of the programme, commented “One of the aims of the programme is to put green teams on a more formal and professional footing within their organisations, providing them with training and recognition to enhance their position and avoid the pitfall that after the initial enthusiasm, green team momentum and commitment fades away.”

Designed for staff members of green teams or sustainability/environmental champions within organisations, the programme helps participants:

• Gain basic technical knowledge on resource efficiency.
• Develop skills to promote sustainable action in the workplace.
• Improve the running of green teams.
• Access support and resources, including peer support.

The support through the programme consists of:

• Workshops covering sustainability, resource efficiency, running employee green team networks and getting staff buy-in.
• A Handbook for environmental champions.
• Web pages with resources for green teams.
• Supervision of a sustainability project carried out by participants.
• An online peer-to-peer networking forum for sharing and exchanging information, knowledge and experience among Green Team members.

On completion of the workshops, Shane McHugh of Rosderra Meats maintenance team was very satisfied with the outcome “I found the three workshop series very beneficial, I have gained a lot of knowledge and ideas.” Terry O’Brien from WIT’s Library Services also endorsed the programme “It opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities and I found it worthwhile personally and professionally.”

For more information about the programme, visit www.greenteams.ie and see how you can maximise the environmental savings for your organisation through staff engagement.

Source: Greenbusiness.ie