By Swatil Binte Mahmud, Lava Protocols
We are hurting our beautiful planet. You can feel the summers getting hotter, we can see flowers and plants slanting due to the scorching heat, and our ice-creams melting in a matter of seconds; it should be obvious that we are living in a climate change crisis. These might seem insignificant, but the slightest changes in the global temperature could mean catastrophes for our planet. Hence, more corporations are coming forward to address climate change and take responsibility for their contributions to persevering our beautiful earth. Climate Pledge announced at the end of 2021 that 200 big corporations worldwide have pledged to reduce their carbon emissions to as low as net of zero in the future.
I have a friend who carries her reusable straw and shopping bag in her purse everywhere she goes. She even takes a reusable bag to collect cigarette butts off the streets. On the weekends, she goes door to door to collect recyclable trash to send them for recycling. She is an environmental hero and is doing her part to protect our Earth quietly for over seven years. When I am with her, I become more conscious about my one-time use of plastics and say no to straws for my drinks. But when she is not in front of me, I am not so careful and persistent with my sustainable thinking. This makes me think, what are big corporations doing when no one is looking? Are they staying true to their pledges? Do they keep in mind their promises to protect our earth? Are they integrating sustainable strategies in their offices and factories?
If you have a company, it doesn’t matter if it is big or small, and you want to go Net Zero, then keep reading because I am jotting down five simple ways to go green and stay green by strategizing efficiently.
1. CEOs Should Care About Sustainability
As more and more companies are pledging to go green, they are also making hires at the executive level to lead their sustainability efforts. However, as sustainability is a relatively new concept for many companies, the budget, and resources allocated for such teams or people are limited. This means they also have a little or insignificant impact on the overall organization. Hence, if you are passionate about Net Zero and willing to keep your promises, you will need to onboard your CEO, Directors, and other high-level managers in the conversation and implementation of sustainability efforts.
2. Welcome Ideas and Initiatives
In one of my first workplaces, all the managers in the company were from older generations. They liked the touch of paper and required us to print everything. At the end of the week, we were always running out of paper and ordering more. This kept me up at night. Perhaps because I was concerned about our paper consumption; it seemed as if the managers needed an intervention. And that is precisely what all the young associates did. We started a No Paper, Only Biscuitsmovement in our office. We ordered biscuits for the intervention and had a good long heart-to-heart conversation with our managers, making them understand why we needed to cut down on paper consumption. Our movement was successful, though it was a long and learning process; in 6 months, we drastically saw our paper consumption going down!
Hence, you should always create a safe space for your employees to suggest ways to curb emissions. Perhaps you can suggest the No Paper, Only Biscuits idea to your boss tomorrow?
3. Go Green and Make Profits
I used to be mad at older generations for destroying our beautiful planet with capitalism and industrialization. But soon, I realized I was also playing an active role in further destroying it by not doing anything. By the time the pandemic came, and I started working from home, I also incorporated some minor changes to reduce the damage caused to the Earth. So, if you want to be a climate champion while working from home, you can read this article we shared last month.
any other millennials and Gen Z’s care about the planet. We do not want to repeat the same mistakes our parents and grandparents did. We are more conscious of what we buy, how we purchase, and whom we buy from. Sustainable businesses that put sustainability at the heart of everything are rising. They are also thriving and making profits. This is because, in a survey by Salesforce on sustainability, 60% of Millennials and members of Gen Z expressed that they are willing to spend more on products and services from Net Zero or Green businesses that fight climate change.
4. Motivate Customers to Make Lifestyle Changes
If you have seen the series Mad Men, you would know how much an agency can influence our ideas and views of the world around us. That is the power of marketing. When I was four years old, I once saw an advertisement for a light bulb where a man dressed like a pirate was singing and dancing to sell light bulbs. The jingle was so good, and the pirate looked so amazing that I demanded my parents buy me a light bulb from that man. Even though I did not use light bulbs, I was just a child! The man did not exist in real life, and I went to bed that night with tears on my pillow. But in the big annual trade fair, while walking with my parents from the freshly baked cookie stall to the cotton candy stall, I saw that pirate! There he was, a man dressed exactly as the pirate on the television, selling light bulbs. Guess who went home that day with ten light bulbs?
So, the point of sharing my story is that I think companies can also take an active role in making their consumers more environmentally conscious. Though I mentioned that consumers have a significant role in motivating companies, I believe it is a two-way street.t Not all consumers know about the impending doom of the climate crisis. Big corporations must make them aware and motivate them to opt for sustainable living with their sustainable products.
5. Measure Your Impact
In this day and age, if you do not have results to prove your ideas, innovations, or strategies are working, then they are likely not working too well.
If you want to go Net Zero and ensure your strategies are implemented successfully, you will need data to see the results. Therefore, you can think about implementing Salesforce Net Zero Cloud and get yourself a traceable dashboard with actionable insights. This will make it easier for you to track your carbon footprint and be proud of the damage you are not causing to our beautiful Earth.
Lava Protocols is an authorized Salesforce Reseller. Want to track your Carbon Footprint? Drop us an email to: hello@lavaprotocols.com.