GOPB Part 1 - Green Office Advocate

Promise 1: I pledge to designate a Green Office Advocate for my company to hold us accountable for our pledge.

Every effort needs a leader just like every body needs a head. Without heads there would be a lot of bodies wandering into traffic, walking into walls and generally screwing up anything requiring cognitive thought. In the same way plans for which no one has direct responsibility tend to self-destruct or fizzle out as time passes. At the very least, every effort needs someone to blame when things go wrong.

The Green Office Pledge, if taken seriously (which we encourage), is a complicated undertaking. The position of Green Office Advocate is vital to maintaining the momentum and focus needed to make progress in each of the other 29 promises to which you have agreed. The person chosen for this position should be considered carefully. Traits such as organization, leadership, communication skills and a drive to institute change are good indicators of an acceptable candidate. Though, in lieu of these, a simple will to do th job could suffice. It will be a thankless task at times and in many cases require more work with no remuneration. Thus, it is important that the person sees the result as its own reward.

The process of choosing a Green Office Advocate will vary in each organization. Some might hold an election, interview potential appointees, or if you have a small office (like ours) and the candidates are equally qualified (or not), you might resort to rock paper scissors as we did.

Postgreen Green Office Advocate Rock Paper Scissors Contest: Best of Three

We shall see whether rock paper scissors skills equate to Green Office Advocate ability. I am looking forward to the new role and the power and prestige that goes along with it.

Chad’s Green Office Tips

Some of the responsibilities and duties of the Green Office Advocate could include the following:

1. Dissemination of the Green Office Pledge to all employees
2. Periodic training for employees as need on green office initiatives
3. Tracking of Green Office measureables (utility bills, steps implemented…)
4. Monthly updates to the office on overall progress towards greening the office
5. Organizing green office work events to collectively green the office