The 50th anniversary of Earth Day is today, April 22, and although the majority of the world is home because of current circumstances, we can still celebrate this significant day, both personally, as well as from a business perspective.
According to EarthShare, the environment is one of the issues employees care about the most. A report in 2017 by Deloitte, Sustainability and Employee Engagement: The State of the Art, showed that 90% of employees said company sustainability initiatives enhance job satisfaction.
In North Carolina, NC GreenTravel is a wonderful resource for businesses who would like to become more environmentally friendly while accomplishing sustainability goals. Chatham County is home to several and the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) continues to partner to enlist more.
As a local CVB, we help promote environmentally-friendly practices for our hospitality and tourism businesses, while also incorporating sustainable actions for our own organization. Some of the ways in which we do this:
- Working with documents digitally rather than printing them
- Printing double–sided pages where possible and appropriate when printing is necessary
- Working from home at least one day a week to save on gasoline and curb emissions
- Recycling in the physical office and when working at home
- Walking to the post office rather than drive
- Providing information about NC GreenTravel to our local tourism businesses
- Scheduling meetings online or by phone when possible; however, meeting face-to-face is critical and necessary, so determining the purpose and efficiency is key.
- Responding to visitors online, marketing via social media, providing information online and by phone, thereby providing quick responses, saving time and an efficient practice for all involved.
- Online visitor brochure reduces the need for receiving a print brochure but we will always mail brochures when requested.
Each and every effort towards a more environmentally-friendly organization is important and commendable as each business is on their own sustainability journey. What is central is that we all take action so that our cumulative progress advances the industry as a whole.
Would you like to incorporate more green practices into your business? Find additional sustainable travel resources here.
