Workplace

It “irked” Greg James to see gas guzzlers in his company’s parking lot, said Kelly K. Spors in The Wall Street Journal. So in 2005 the CEO and founder of Seattle-based Topics Entertainment started offering employees cash incentives to trade in their low-gas-mileage cars for more fuel-efficient models. James isn’t the only boss nudging workers to think green. Companies of all sizes are “seeing value in encouraging employees to make environmentally friendlier choices as well—at home, at work, and in their commutes.”

A few simple steps can pay back in “many shades of green,” said Tiffany Meyers in Entrepreneur. Companies can install programmable thermostats and motion-sensor lighting in the office, and can make sure employees turn off computers and other “energy hogs” when they quit for the day. Cut your paper trail by e-mailing office memos and reviewing documents on the screen: The “typical worker uses almost 12,00 sheets” of paper per year. Finally, “to make eco-friendly commuting attractive, offer cash instead of parking, as well as transit subsidies, bike racks, on-site showers, and telework programs.” If half of all employers took such measures, the net savings in emissions and energy costs could be equivalent to taking 15 million cars off the road.

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