As we discussed during our recent ‘Steps to Net Zero’ webinar, establishing a dedicated Green Team within your organisation is one of the most effective ways to kickstart your climate journey.
Read on for some key takeaways for starting your own Green Team.
What exactly is a Green Team and why should we set one up?
A Green Team is a group of employees who volunteer to lead sustainability initiatives within an organisation. These teams aim to embed environmental thinking and climate action across all operations.
Green Teams are typically cross-departmental, bringing together staff from different roles and specialisms. Their activities may include tracking emissions, developing eco-policies, running staff engagement campaigns, and reviewing practices to minimise environmental impact.
The overall purpose is to drive the sustainability agenda from the ground up. Green Teams act as champions, raising awareness and working towards practical changes that help to reduce an organisation’s climate impact.
Furthermore, demonstrating climate leadership by creating a Green Team can make an organisation more attractive to potential employees, partners, and funders.
Establishing a successful Green Team
Recruitment is key when forming your first Green Team – you want enthusiastic volunteers from across departments. Think about who has helpful expertise in areas like facilities, marketing, procurement, finance or digital. Also, consider a mix in terms of seniority – getting buy-in from management sends an important signal. Essentially, be careful not to silo sustainability – this needs to be an organisation-wide effort!
Once recruited, empower the team to identify opportunities and lead initiatives. Provide training – external courses like Business Energy Scotland’s Green Champion CPD will build their skills.
Make sure they have support from senior leadership to bump up priority actions. They should be allowed to challenge current practices and suggest bold changes aligned to your climate goals. However, the team should also act as facilitators and educators, not be expected to have sole responsibility for sustainability.
Increasing wider engagement
Share updates from the team across the organisation through newsletters and internal communications. Transparency helps maintain momentum.
Discuss how every department can contribute and demonstrate your organisation’s commitment by embedding climate criteria into policies like travel, expenses, and catering.
You could also consider incentives like linking sustainability metrics to rewards or highlighting achievements through internal awards.
It’s also important to communicate your sustainability story externally: share what you are doing publicly and what lessons you have learned to inspire others to engage with Net Zero initiatives. Even small successes should be celebrated and can have an impact – check out other Third Sector organisations’ stories on the Growing Climate Confidence site for inspiration!
In summary, a Green Team can provide immense value by driving sustainability from the ground up within your organisation. Take steps to establish and empower your own team of Climate Champions now!
Helpful resources
Need a helping hand to get going? Check out these helpful links:
