MNN - Mother Nature Network

I came across an interesting product today that is used to incorporate eco-friendly ideas into your company’s office.  The program, Green Planet Wellness, provides a 30-day wellness challenge for a company’s employees.  The main idea behind the program is to help an employee make green changes at work but it also stretch these changes into their personal lives.

“Each day, participants select from a list of 100+ reasonable, achievable green living activities segmented into 5 categories — Home, Work, Exercise, Nutrition, and Miscellaneous.  Each activity is assigned a value of 1-4 green points, depending on its potential effect.” Source: Green Planet Wellness

The goal is for each employee to reach at least 100 points by the end of the 30-day challenge.  After 30 days of making these choices, many employees will find that it is easy to keep up with their new green routine.

 

Telecommuting to work is good for four points while holding a virtual meeting will net you two points.  If you reuse paper at work, you can add three points to your list and simply turning off your lights when not in use is good for an additional point.

 

I was curious what types of organizations have used the program and found that the University of Iowa held their challenge in November/December 2008.  In order to encourage participation, the university awarded points for participation as well as for completing a survey upon completion.  The points were then redeemable in the University of Iowa’s Wellness Store.

 

Unfortunately, the program is not free but it is inexpensive.   Companies can purchase the PDF-based program for $99.  If you work in a company that is not embracing the green movement with open arms, creating a challenge like the one designed by Green Planet Wellness is a good way to drum up some green office excitement.