Pro-Environment Work Office

In order to make an effective environmental change in our world, we need to be able to start small by making environmental changes in our home and office locations. These changes can be difficult to make as they involve changing the way in which we live our lives. In order to make effective changes that will be long-lasting the motivations need to be understood which will assist us in continuing to make the environmental changes that will eventually affect global environmental change. A hypothetical educational program will be analyzed to determine the way in which environmental changes can be made in an office setting. The motivation behind the environmental changes needed to be analyzed to be determined if these environmental changes will be long lasting and effective in the work setting of the educational program.

The educational program that would be designed would incorporate both an educational and environmental component. The program would educate organizations on how their offices could be more environmentally friendly, much like how green schools are paving the way for the education system. The creation of the program is justified in that many work offices are wasteful. These offices waste a lot of paper, use disposable and do not have recycling capabilities in their offices. These offices have difficulty being environmentally friendly due to a lack of knowledge regarding environmentally friendly office practices or lack the motivation to put the time and energy to make the necessary changes. The program would go into various office settings to provide education on how changes can be made in the office to become more environmentally friendly. The program would not last very long for each office as it would not take long to introduce environmentally friendly practices. The goal of the program would be to spread awareness about ways in which offices can be pro-environment without burdening them. The program’s own office setting could be an example of the way in which the program could work as office managers could come to tour the ideal pro-environment office.

The program’s office setting would be one in which all disposable products are removed such as paper cups, paper plates or packets of condiments. Rather the office will have enough cabinet space to hold mugs and regular plates. The office would also have a sink in which employees could wash dishes for frequent use. The office would also have a fridge in the break room area so that employees could keep condiments rather than wasting condiment packets. The office would also work towards maintaining files on the computer rather than wasting paper to keep files, would use recyclable products in everything from their paper to office equipment, would have recycling bins in the office and it would have lots of greenery in the form of plants in the office as a reminder of nature and motivation behind the office practices.

The exposure to nature is one of the motivational factors that would influence the office to become environmental. In an increasingly technological world employees rarely experience any form of nature which would include exposure to plants, animals, fresh air or sunlight. These employees are more likely to experience nature by seeing images of nature on their computer screens than actual nature. Studies have found that although real nature is the best way to motivate productivity in employees, stimulated nature can also have an impact. “While the research literature has shown physical and psychological benefits of experiencing many aspects of nature, there are also indications that some of these benefits carry over when experiencing visual representations of nature” (Kahn, 2008). The exposure to nature is an important motivational factor as the presence of nature has always been there for me. Working in an office setting devoid of any form of nature feels artificial and would make it difficult for me to be productive in an office setting. This could also be a motivational factor for administrators who would like to see their employees make more money and be more productive. By discussing how having real or at least simulated nature in the office setting, employees would be more productive and this would increase the profits gained by the company to invest in more pro-environment policies. 

The second motivational factor for introducing pro-environment factors would be to provide a more relaxing office setting for my employees. A relaxing office environment would be one in which employees would experience less burnout and there would also be less of a turnover effect with employees leaving after not being able to manage the stress of a job. “The natural environment seemed to promote restoration and increased energy by offering fascination and by inducing altered states of consciousness to a greater extent than those induced by the simulated natural environment” (Buhrkall, 2010). This study demonstrates that while simulated natural environments can provide benefits for employees, real natural environments are more beneficial. This is a strong motivational factor as high turnover in an office setting can lead to low morale and a difficult work environment. By introducing natural settings such as more plants, an outside courtyard or frequent relaxation breaks for yoga in the office setting can reduce the negative effects of burnout. This is important for me as burnout is the main reason why I may leave a job for a new one. Having a relaxing work environment is an important factor in maintaining a pro-environment office space for me as an employee and eventually as an administrator to keep employees.

The third factor in promoting a pro-environment workplace would be to counter the ambivalence that currently exists in the youth regarding the environment and working to be more green in the workplace and at home. This ambivalence is defined by the lack of interest or caring about the environment. Ambivalence is a major barrier in being able to make long-lasting changes for the environment. Therefore in order to enact effective environmental changes ambivalence needs to be defeated. As one study found “people conscious of their attitudinal ambivalence systematically process information about the phenomenon at hand and are more easily persuaded by messages containing strong arguments than persons low on ambivalence” (Ojala, 2008). This demonstrates that individuals need to be made aware of the ambivalence they have and the ways in which the ambivalence is illogical. Defeating ambivalence is an important factor for me as it is the main reason many youths do not have principles or goals they will fight for as they are ambivalent about many of the world’s problems. The educational program that was designed would make an effort to defeat the ambivalence that exists by spreading awareness about the problems that can occur if positive changes are not made in the environment and how easy changes can be made through simple changes in the ways in which they work.

The fourth factor in promoting pro-environmental work settings would be to increase the health benefits of employees who work in an organization. The negative health impacts of a work environment can be defined as high stress, high anxiety or physical problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome. These negative health impacts can be altered through environmentally friendly work environments. “In these (stressful) environments particularly, as well as for people who work in windowless offices, studies show that seeing nature is important to people and is an effective means of relieving stress and improving well-being” (Pryor, 2005). Increasing health benefits in a stressful workplace setting is an important factor for me as people should not have to suffer negative health consequences in order to make a living. As people, we spend most of our days at work than in any other setting. By promoting natural settings in my pro-environment educational program, the importance of creating healthy environments for workers will spread.

The final factor in promoting the importance of a pro-environment program is that it will lead to environmental changes on a global scale. Before the effects of pollution and global warming can be reversed we need to work together to create change on a smaller scale. The impact of a workplace’s impact on the environment can be seen in the effects of agriculture in the creation of dead zones. “Creating what is often known as a dead zone hypoxia also can kill marine organisms that cannot escape the low-oxygen water, affecting commercial harvests and the health of affected ecosystems.” (NOAA, nd.). As workplaces can have a negative impact on the environment it is important to create a workplace which offsets these environmental costs. This is an important factor to me as just changing one office setting at a time may not impact the environment greatly but being able to change many office settings and eventually, all work settings may lead to the creation of things like the dead zone to become nonexistent.

Creating a pro-environment educational program targeted towards employees and their office settings is an important first step in changing the culture of most workplaces. Ensuring that the five factors that were discussed are incorporated into the design of the program will ensure its success. This is due to the fact that I will have the motivation to stick to environmental goals. By creating a green culture in workplaces, individuals may be influenced to create a pro-environmental setting in their homes as well. Through these small steps and through continued awareness environmental change can occur on a global scale.