Speed dating goes green, street crime is benign and paddling to work is the norm when it comes to Canada's premiere business sustainability networking event, the Green Cafes.
Sponsored by the David Suzuki Foundation, Green Cafes are local events for business owners and staff working to bring sustainable change to offices across Canada. This Wednesday, the second Toronto Green Cafe will bring together eco-minded executives and employees to brainstorm a top-10 list of strategies for greening the workplace.
"Green Cafes offer businesses a unique occasion to swap ideas about green workplace practices — whether those in the discussion are new to the idea of an environmentally-friendly office or are the leader of their company green team," said Kristy Sadler, Marketing Manager at Intelex Technologies and David Suzuki Ambassador.
Past participants of the Green Cafes include employees from Walmart, Ernst & Young, Electronic Arts, TD Bank, SAP, Deloitte & Touche, Bullfrog Power and Soya World. Here are some of the ideas that have come out of previous cafes:
- Getting mugged — employees seen at the office with a travel mug got their picture taken and posted on a wall of fame.
- Dumpster diving — equipped with ideas from a Vancouver Green Cafe, employees donned white paper suits and went head-first into their waste bins to assess how much their office was generating, as part of their efforts to reduce waste at work.
- Crazy Sustainable Commute — a workplace challenge that saw people canoeing, cart-wheeling and walking backwards to work to raise awareness about sustainable transportation.
- Speed greening — Green Cafe participants came to the event with a sustainability goal, and got a flash round of advice from colleagues on how to achieve it.
"These sessions give people the opportunity to share their success stories and brainstorm solutions to common sustainable workplace challenges," said Aryne Sheppard, manager of community leadership at the David Suzuki Foundation.
Green Cafes are organized by David Suzuki Ambassadors, who volunteer their time to facilitate office greening workshops that help businesses reduce energy consumption, trim waste, travel smarter and build their bottom line in the process. These trained ambassadors facilitate interactive workshops that help employee teams identify the specific needs of their workplaces and develop a strategic action plan.
The second Toronto Green Cafe will be held on Wed. Sept. 22 from 6-8 p.m., in the AutoDesk Visualization Studio on the 2nd floor of 210 King Street East, Toronto.
For further information, please contact:
Sutton Eaves, Communications Specialist, David Suzuki Foundation
seaves@davidsuzuki.org, (604) 732-4228 × 1282
