Inspire Enterprise Case Study

Case Study: Inspire launches internal footprint reduction campaign for oil & gas company

Inspire Enterprise was approached to support the launch of a footprint reduction campaign at the
client’s Canadian head office in Calgary, Alberta.

The objective of the campaign was to engage employees at the 200 strong office on a voluntary basis
to make a commitment to reduce their footprint at work.

The brief

Based on our research of how to make environmental initiatives at work effective, we agreed to the
following key principles for the program:

1. It must focus on the individual – engaging employees on a personal, voluntary basis
and asking them to make a commitment that was determined by them rather than a “topdown”
approach.

2. It must be continuous – that is, it isn’t a one off, but rather a way of keeping footprint
reduction front of mind on an ongoing basis.

3. It must be measurable – providing real time feedback for both the individual and the
organization. So people not only see their individual impact, but also how the impact adds
up when the whole organization is working together.

4. It must inspire, not ‘guilt’ people into action – providing a ‘feel-good’ factor and a
team spirit: “Everyone makes a difference; together we change the world.”

The solution

To implement the campaign we worked with the client to develop the following program:

Step 1: Present program to employees and invite them to take part
Step 2: Interview volunteers and do footprint survey (either personally or electronically)
Step 3: Ask for personal commitment

Step 4: Set up an online tracking system to enable the person to easily track their actions
Step 5: Inspire action with a positive communications campaign
Step 6: Celebrate with events, rewards and recognition

Step 1: Present program to employees & invite them to take part

The footprint program was introduced at department meetings and employees were invited to take part on a voluntary basis.

Step 2: Interview volunteers and do footprint survey

Employees who agreed to take part in the initiative were each given asurvey to assess their current footprint level. In this case, individualswere interviewed face to face. (Please note: the survey can also be implemented eletronically if resource is tight, the company too large and/or spread out.)

Step 3: Ask for personal commitment
At the end of the interview, employees were once again asked if theywanted to take part in the program. If yes, they discussed some specific actions that they would be willing to commit to doing to reduce their environmental footprint at work.

Step 4: Set up online tracking system
Their commitment was then inputted into a password protected online action tracker. The individual can log in at any time to track actions they have taken to reduce their footprint. Individuals can also easily click to see the total impact for the organization. This feature makes it easy for all to see how simple actions, done by many people, have a big impact.

Individuals can also nominate fellow colleagues for actions ‘above and beyond the call’ – further creating connection and team spirit.

Step 5: Inspire action with a positive communications campaign

Small postcard sized ‘ads’ were placed in strategic locations (linked to actions – e.g. by the elevator, by the drinks machine, by the photocopier etc.) to remind participants. Each person receives an email once a week to communicate successes to date and inspire further action.

Step 6: Celebrate with events, rewards and recongition
An event to recognize and reward participation as well as create a ‘team’ feeling around reducing footprint at work was created. “Have a local lunch … on us!”. Participants are rewarded with a lunch on the company and individuals recognized for extraordinary actions.

The results

Direct impacts in the first two months:

Over 90% participation (154 people)
1,580 Actions tracked
1,557 kg CO2 reduced (120 trees take an entire year to absorb this much CO2)
4,242 L of water saved (56, 5 minute showers’ worth)
695 kWh of energy saved (A months worth of energy for the average house)
12,013 sheets of paper saved (almost 2 trees-worth)

The client can easily download all statistics for the program as an excel spreadsheet, outlining actions and impacts for the entire organization at the touch of a button.

Indirect impacts

Spill over environmental impacts:

The program resulted in purchasing moving to 30% post consumer recycled paper.

The impact of this single action is INCREDIBLE, it:

• reduced greenhouse gases by 25,704 kg
• saved 49,896 L water
• saved 6,048 kWh of power
• saved 86.4 trees from being felled (over 719,000 sheets of paper)!

The program resulted in the Yellow Pages being refused. This sent a clear message to the supplier – No more paper. Saving the equivalent of over 263,000 sheets of copy paper. Reducing GHGs by 32,308 kg, saving 110,460 L water and 31 trees-worth of paper.

The program resulted in exploring new production methods ‘in the field’ to reduce waste.

Morale impacts

• The program empowered individuals to take action, thereby building loyalty and trust.
• The program built team spirit through events and recognition.

Conclusion

The program has proven very successful.

There are some fundamental reasons why it worked:

Firstly, it had an internal champion and ‘Green Team’ to make it happen. Without internal energy
driving the program, neither uptake of, nor ongoing energy for the initiative would have happened.

Secondly, it was volunteer and personal to the individual. Setting a personal goal that was relevant to
them meant a higher degree of commitment to taking and tracking action.

Thirdly, the ActionTracker gave real time feedback both on an individual and company-wide basis. This
feedback was a necessary ingredient in maintaining interest for the initiative and proving success.
Finally, it was simple. Green initiatives are another thing on the to-do list. Making it easy to engage in
the program, track actions and see impacts made it a ‘no-brainer’ for people. The result was that the
benefit of taking part was the focus for people.

Our workbook, online ActionTracker, speakers, workshops and campaigns can have a BIG Impact: