3rd ‘be green Day’: The Greening Of Bertelsmann
30 years ago, the United Nations proclaimed June 5th World Environment Day, in hopes that each year, people all over the world would take this day to raise their awareness of how important it is to protect the environment and our planet’s resources. Rallies and events are held in many countries – and Bertelsmann’s companies are also organizing a “be green Day” again to mark World Environment Day, the third since 2010. Bertelsmann’s Chairman & CEO Thomas Rabe calls on all employees around the world to join in: “I am pleased that our committed employees at fifty-four sites in sixteen countries are presenting exciting ‘green’ actions related to environmental protection and climate change today. Protecting the environment concerns every one of us, and our whole company.”
“We take up this challenge based on our Bertelsmann Essentials and our ‚be green’ strategy to protect the environment and the climate,” said Rabe. “Climate change is one of the foremost challenges of the 21st century.” He explained that Bertelsmann’s activities are based on the principle of sustainable development. “For us this means that we strive for a responsible use of energy, water, resources and space, and regularly publish this in the form of our carbon footprint,” said Rabe. The idea is to use natural resources as efficiently as possible across the entire value chain – with competitive advantages being one of the results. “Protecting the environment and our climate opens up opportunities for our companies as well: the emerging markets for media and services in this area need to be analyzed and potential growth identified.” “be green Day” is itself a good example for employees’ creativity and sense of responsibility, said Rabe: “Take these opportunities to join in and be an ambassador for eco-conscious conduct and an environmentally friendly Bertelsmann, both at work and in your personal lives.“
A colorful mix of programs
Random House in the U.S. and Canada and Arvato in the U.K. brought forward their “be green Day” to May 31 and Jun 1 respectively. “Protecting the environment is an integral part of Random House’s business philosophy,” said Kim Keegan, Group Communications Manager, The Random House Group UK. “On ‘be green Day’ this year we set up new cycle storage areas, carried out free cycle check-ups and handed out bike maps to motivate our employees to ride their bikes. We also distributed ‘bee- and butterfly-friendly’ flower seeds for our co-workers to plant in their gardens.”
Today, numerous other companies will follow suit with multifaceted programs designed to get their employees thinking as well as acting in environmentally friendly ways. At Arvato, employees can go to www.begreen.arvato.com for plenty of online information on ‘green mobility’ – from hints on how to save fuel to information about sustainable transport concepts by and at Arvato. Using the online CO2 calculator developed by Arvato Systems, people can figure out how much CO2 they save by walking, cycling or using public transport instead of driving. Arvato employees can enter their own hints, tricks and pointers for helping to reduce emissions in the “Activity Stream.“
Attractive prizes await
Individual Arvato companies are also taking action – as in Singapore, where the company is hosting a writing competition to kick off its eco-campaign, which will run through the end of the month. Employees are invited to write a short article or poem expressing their thoughts on the topic – the best entries will receive attractive prizes, and the texts will be published in the next issue of the local Arvato newsletter. The staff is also called on to set a “green signal” by, for example, coming to work dressed in green clothes, and using glasses and mugs instead of paper cups. Staff members who have an original photograph taken of them wearing green and/or using reusable drinking vessels will also receive prizes. To reduce the amount of waste generated by the company, at Arvato in Madrid each employee will be provided with recycling bins at their workstation. And from now on, only recycled paper will be used in the printers.
At Verlagsgruppe Random House in Munich, too, it’ll be mugs not paper cups and shopping bags not plastic bags on “be green Day.” Under the heading “Change your behavior, not the environment,” various actions have been organized to motivate local employees to separate their garbage, turn off the lights, the printers and their computer’s display each evening; use the stairs instead of the elevator: and ride their bikes or the bus more often, as well as avoid flying short distances.
Eco-friendly commute
In Gütersloh, Corporate Center staff can find out more about mobility today – for example at the Gütersloh public utilities stand, where they can learn how to protect the environment and save money by using the Bertelsmann Jobticket for public transportation. Those who came to work by bike today can have their two-wheeler checked on-site by the Bike Doctor, who will also perform small repairs – for free of course. And outside the Corporate Center, e-bikes will be available for test rides. One highlight of “be green Day” in Gütersloh is an evening panel discussion with Dr. Harald Welzer, social psychologist and author, and the TV presenter/writer Christoph Süss, who will take an informative and humorous look at the ecological aspects of our daily life.
Random House Australia in Sydney will motivate its employees to buy local produce for their lunch and to either bring their own dishes or at least do without disposable packaging. Our colleagues “down under” are also being encouraged not to use plastic bags or drive their cars – not just today – given that good alternatives exist in the form of canvas bags and buses.
Prinovis Nuremberg is serving a “low-carbon” special in its company restaurant, whereby only regional produce is used. Employees who bike to work on “be green Day” are rewarded with a free low-carbon meal.
Our colleagues at Círculo de Lectores in Barcelona can meet the author of the book “Un huerto para ser feliz” (“A Garden For Happiness”) and learn a lot about cultivating plants on a balcony or in a small urban garden. They will also receive a packet of seeds for a fruit tree, vegetables or flowers. Círculo is also participating in a project to collect plastic bottle-caps for recycling; the proceeds go to children with disabilities.
The staff at Arvato in Monterrey, Mexico can participate in tree and shrub plantings on and around the company grounds today. To save electricity, employees are being asked to switch off lights, computers, displays, printers and other devices whenever possible. And finally, there will be a number of promotions to recycle packaging materials and batteries.
Back in Germany, at Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1 in Berlin, outside guests will join employees of Bertelsmann companies including Der Club and UFA for a multifaceted schedule of events. This morning Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf, a climatologist from Potsdam, will speak before some 200 schoolchildren about the origins of clouds, wind and weather. In the evening, the improv artists of Theatersport Berlin will take to the stage and use the audience’s input to improvise around the themes of environmental protection. And Prof. Elke Weber of Columbia University in New York will give a lecture on the psychology of climate change, on development and growth versus responsibility and limits.
The “be green” team is the organizing and driving force behind “be green Day.” An international working group of environmental officers from all the divisions, the “be green” team has advanced environmental and climate protection at Bertelsmann, jointly and across divisions, since 2003.
