Blog Action Day

I was contacted by the nice people who run blog action day and asked if I would like to participate – and of course I would.

The idea is simple: On one date, October 15th, all participating blogs will blog about one topic – the environment.

If you have a blog, why not be a part of this – 1400 blogs have joined so far, this is going to be massive :o)

And what, I hear you ask, does the environment have to do with happiness at work? Lots, I tell you. Many companies are finding, that when they change their business to be more environmentally sustainable, their employees experience a growing sense of pride in the company – leading to more happiness at work.

These companies also find, interestingly, that customers become proud to place their business there and become more loyal – and that consequently the company makes more money.

Two great examples are:
1: Interface (the world’s largest carpet manufacturer) who produced a line of environmentally friendly carpets that, even though they were more expensive than their regular products, became their best selling product.

Ray Anderson, the CEO of Interface, had a rude awakening about the way his company had been polluting, saying:

It dawned on me that they way I’d been running Interface is the way of the plunderer. Plundering something that is not mine, something that belongs to every creature on earth.

So I said to myself “My goodness, some day people like me will end up in jail.”

2: Patagonia who make outdoor wear and mountain climbing gear and who donate 1% of their revenue or 10% of their profits, whichever is greater, to environmental causes chosen by their employees.

Much more on October 15th.