– October 28, 2008 –

What: “Crossing the Green Divide: Ways to channel your team’s passion for greening into actions for your bottom line”

When: Available immediately

Where: http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/article/0,1002,sid%253D143146%2526cid%253D228670,00.html

Details:

Most people today believe their actions contribute to our changing environment, and they have started to make changes at home to reduce the impact of their actions. Surprisingly, most people are not exhibiting similar behavior changes at work. This disconnect between greening attitudes and actions represents a very real and significant opportunity for companies that are able to effectively harness the growing environmental awareness and passion of their people.

At home, people have a greater sense of ownership over greening actions. For example, they can see the impact of turning out the lights on their utility bills. At work, most people do not see the utility bills and do not feel ownership over the energy use in the office. This divide presents an opportunity for organizations to educate their employees with ways to be environmentally conscious at work. Companies that have succeeded in these efforts have found that a green workplace results in more productivity, increased employee engagement, and reinforces a more socially responsible workplace

“What was once regarded as a passing trend has now become a business imperative,” said Chris Park, lead principal of Deloitte’s Enterprise Sustainability group. “People care about the impact they make on the environment, and companies that can tap into this passion and cross the divide between attitude and actions in the workplace stand to reap sizeable benefits.”

Crossing this divide requires companies to understand their green performance, provide a platform with guidance for ways employees can engage in greening at work, communicate greening with credibility and authenticity internally and externally, and reward green behaviors in a creative and credible way.

While there is not one specific approach that works for every organization, all greening success stories contain the following elements:

• Provide transparency into green performance
  
• Create a platform that provides support

• Communicate the message in a “green” way
• Create rewards and incentives that align program intents with actions

Chris Park, lead principal of Deloitte’s Enterprise Sustainability group, is available for commentary and further discussion about Deloitte’s Crossing the Green Divide white paper. Please contact Cory Ziskind at 212-492-4408 or [email protected] to schedule an interview.

About Deloitte

As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte Consulting, LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.