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Earth Day is Every Day in Workforce Development

Earth day is here, a day to remind ourselves we need to be good stewards to planet we call home. This reminder is true for everyone, even when we are in our role as workforce development professionals. The most obvious role in workforce is encouraging the growth and development of green jobs, but this post is not about creating or obtaining green jobs. This post is about being green in our day to day workforce development business.  

Workforce development is a system requiring resources. Earth Day is about conservation. This Earth Day it is important for each person to evaluate the resources. On the top level, resources require money. When funding is tight, resources are evaluated and that dreaded, “do more with less” phrase starts rearing its ugly head. Before the very top of the funding chain starts cutting, it is important to evaluate resources and be proactive

If Earth Day is about anything, it is awareness of waste. Bottles, paper, and other trash are not only harmful to the environment, but have costs. As workforce professionals, we can start to look at our day to day and better understand how we can improve in this area. Does your system have paper recycling, bottle and can recycling, and ways to recycle electronics? Having the proper waste disposal is the first step to making your day to day more friendly to the environment. As an individual, do you recycle paper or throw it in the general trash?  Do you find ways to reduce the amount of paper used and ultimately disposed? Is it possible to be paperless?
 
Another area to contemplate is the air we breathe. Pollution is not just produced by trucks, driving down the highway. It is the cars used to drive to the workforce offices by staff, clients, and customers? Before considering an in person meeting, can a virtual meeting be held instead? Is your center accessible by public transportation?  Air pollution is also inside the workforce offices.  Consider the cleanliness of the air in your inside environment. Is the air full of dust? Are vents cleaned? What chemicals are used to clean the offices? Stewards of the workforce system must be aware of how the choices made for facilities effect the environment. 

Finally, when was the last time you considered noise pollution? People are sensitive to all kinds of environmental stimuli. From traffic sounds to computer humming, are the sounds harsh? How about the volume inside your office. Are people talking loudly? Is there music or other distracting sounds? Does the sound in your offices help or hurt the work being completed?

 No matter your position, you can start to think about how you can be more earth friendly in your day to day life as a workforce professional. Every day is Earth Day, even in workforce development.

 ~Karen Cirincione
Email: kcirincione@gmail.com
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/karenjcirincione
Twitter: @kcirincione

 

 

 

 

 

 

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