The modern day survival in the 21st Century is dominated by a faster tunnel of life where many people are working to ensure their prosperity. Buried in this equation of seeking livelihoods lies the workplace where many people spend a significant portion of their lives.
According to Kassandra Vaughn, an individual spends an average of 90000 hours of their lifetime in the workplace and this is about one third of our time. Therefore a lot of time is spend in the workplace. We must not neglect the greening of the workplace. The workplace is also filled with major environmental issues that require proper management.
Lots of ideas can be adopted towards greening the workplace and these range from using natural lighting where possible during the day instead of using light unnecessarily. The printing of emails is not always necessary as it results in unnecessary paper usage and generation of waste. Many companies are moving towards paperless systems to eliminate high paper usage. Creative ideas can be made in the management of waste including waste segregation at workplaces. Workplaces today should be designed in a manner that allows waste to be disposed in an environmentally sound manner. After all, a clean work environment presents a great springboard for generating good ideas. Energy efficiency can also be implemented in the workplace through measures such as installing energy efficient lighting as well as switching off gadgets not in use.
What would be the impact if we prioritised greening the workplace? Considering sustainability when making purchasing decisions is a low hanging fruit to greening the workplace. When companies make purchases, there is a very high likelihood of inheriting environmental problems from the supply chain. It is therefore necessary to start looking at the environmental impact of a product before purchasing it.
Tawanda Collins Muzamwese is the Editor in Chief of the Green Business Gazette Magazine. He is is an international consultant in sustainable business development with massive experience in training, consulting and auditing. He has facilitated capacity development in more than 100 enterprises drawn from over 30 countries. He is the founder of the sustainability think-tank called Toxiconsol Consultancy t/a African Sustainability Consultants. He is the Editor in Chief of the Green Business Gazette Magazine. He is a consultant and business coach with over 13 years experience. Tawanda is a Management Systems Consultant working on promoting development and implementation of ISO Standards (ISO 14001:2015, ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018) in both developed and developing countries. With his inspirational and pragmatic writing style he has written cutting edge books including:
1) How to grow a Side-hustle into a viable business - Overcome Salary Dependency
2) The Leading Consultant: How become an authority in your professional field
3) Step-by-Step Guide to implementing Safety, Health, Environment and Quality Management Systems
4) Stepping on Higher Perspectives: Greatness Tips Motivational Series
5) Sustainability Guidebook for Boards and CEOs: Leading from the front
Tawanda writes about sustainability, motivation, safety, health, environment and quality management. His books are relevant to both developed and developing countries. With practical approaches and case studies, he provides incisive insights into entrepreneurship.
His philosophy is based on the premise that every human being has potential to make a significant difference in their lifetime. He writes books on taking personal responsibility for progression in life. He motivates entrepreneurs to implement income generating projects and determine their own financial destiny. He also motivates companies to take up sustainability initiatives.
A start-up coach, public speaker, environmentalist, safety, health and quality management expert, Muzamwese bridges the gap between theory and practice through building capacity and sharing practical case studies in his books.
