Successful forerunners of PolyU’s green office movement

Over the years, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has been striving to be a more sustainable and environmentally conscious institution. A revolutionary step was witnessed when the University introduced the Green PolyU Awards – Green Office programme in June 2016. It establishes a platform within PolyU where staff members at offices on campus shape and execute ideas and suggestions to incorporate sustainable practices into the day to day operations of workspaces. It gives the opportunity for all staff to participate.

It’s time to change what we have been doing

Steered by the Campus Sustainability Committee and the Campus Sustainability Office, this campus-wide Green Office programme not only looks at developing appropriate environmental practices and recommendations to greening the workplace. It also focuses on effecting changes among the staff. “We want to engage every staff member to review how much their office is doing with respect to addressing sustainability,” explained by Mr. Joseph Chan, Head of Campus Sustainability. “We want to involve them all and show them it may not be as difficult as they think to change their daily work habits. Reusing items, cutting paper consumption, turning off lights and air cons, conserving resources and producing less waste can be all just natural for everyone. And I would love it to be at some point in the future that we do not need to call for change because all of these actions are embedded as part of the work that we do.”

The programme successfully concluded its Phase One assessment exercise in March 2017 which was voluntary in nature. Close to 30 offices joined this exercise, meaning that they had a dedicated plan and clear targets for improving sustainability and they managed to accomplish. Among the participating offices three of them received Special Awards, and their ideas and practices are good examples for others.

Engaging colleagues is the key

CPCE Information Technology Unit is the winner of the Most Innovative Green Office Award and water conservation is their prime focus. Ms. Jenny Pang, the Green Officer, said this was a meaningful pick from various sustainability issues in the workspace. “The essence of introducing green workplace practices rests not only on what it is in terms of very high-level environmental concepts but how it relates to us practically in our daily life. We need to engage colleagues and help them understand why this is something relevant to us. It is easy to get hold of loads of information talking about water being a precious yet finite resource essential for life, and I hope my colleagues are on the same page and share the same understanding with me.”

Engaging colleagues is crucial, and there’s no single roadmap. The unit employs different channels to extend engagement internally. Issues on water conservation, energy saving, and other sustainability initiatives are brought to the eyes of the management officers and staff representatives in cross-team meetings. Stickers and notices prepared on recycled paper are visible close to the facilities and equipment to draw attention. A timer is connected to the water dispenser to pre-program the times that the water dispenser turns off after office hours. Effective internal communications practices such as emails also help much. These are no ordinary wordy emails – they are carefully prepared to transmit the messages of water conservation and sustainability for colleagues to understand and act upon it. The emails are simple, brief and to the point. Cartoon visuals are included to convey information in an easy-to-digest manner. The emails do not come too frequently to avoid communication overload. Calls-to-action messages are included to inspire colleagues.

Results are positive. Colleagues are motivated and inspired to take action to conserve water in their workplaces and extend to around their homes. Of course there are challenges ahead in fostering behavioral change in sustainable practices, yet small incremental changes do add up.

Be progressive and forward-looking

Facilities Management Office (FMO) wins the Most Efficient Green Office Award. Mr. Jeffrey Wong, the Green Officer, from FMO said the idea of implementing green workplace practices is something without too much difficulty from the start. “We do not need any clever persuasion to convince colleagues as most of us are well aware of the positive benefits that each of us can initiate. Applying green practices and energy-saving measures in building services and facilities are naturally part of our job and our profession in which senior management of the Office is supportive,” Jeffrey said. “We have high expectations. We should aim to motivate our colleagues and users further, and encourage them to change their behavior so as to contribute more in building a green campus as room for further improvement to hardware (e.g. building services) is getting slim or costly.”

Indeed, FMO succeeds in informing staff members and inspiring them to work more sustainable. Colleagues proactively discuss and exchange their views on green office practices in official meetings (e.g. Working Group) and casual conversations. The office performs outstandingly with its efforts in energy saving, and colleagues are particularly cautious to watch power use. The office area comprises separately switched lighting zones and colleagues are encouraged to turn off lights when they are not using them, including common areas such as meeting rooms and pantry. Air conditioners are set to an appropriate indoor temperature. Electronic devices are switched off when they are done for the day. Friendly reminders are seen everywhere.

Paper use is another aspect that earns the office’s attention. A ‘reuse paper’ tray is set near the printers for colleagues to use as scratch paper and to print drafts or other documents not intended as final versions. Duplex printing or double-sided printing is strongly recommended, and reminders on such eco-printing practices are posted directly on the printers.

Moreover, colleagues won’t miss the eye-catching notices at the pantry which remind them to conserve water and use less detergent. A recycling zone is found inside the pantry as well. Small but decent looking containers stand noticeably to facilitate source separation. Notices are shown to remind colleagues of the need to opt for clean recycling and for hygiene necessities.

Unity is strength

Human Resources Office (HRO) is awarded the Green Office with Remarkable Progress Award. It demonstrated that the pillar to the success of the green office management was to get the support and cooperation from the senior management and colleagues of all levels.

Green office practices are evident in their daily operations. Various signs are shown to remind colleagues about energy saving. They switch off lights, computers, monitors or other appliances after office hours and whenever the conference rooms are vacant. Computers, printers and air-purifiers are pre-set with power-management settings, i.e. sleep mode, timer function.

To pursue for a paper-less office, colleagues are encouraged to make use of electronic whiteboards, E-meeting system and bring their tablets or notebooks for meetings to avoid printing of documents. Inside the pantry, colleagues are encouraged to use the cloth towels instead of single-use disposable kitchen paper. Disposable cups or bottled water are not recommended to use during meetings and events.

We are very happy to see that some of their colleagues are already making sustainable and green habits personally. They are aware of the importance of clean recycling, and they are making good use of the University’s UniRe^® for source separation. They also show support for different sustainability initiatives and activities on campus.

Scaling-up sustainability on campus

The Green PolyU Awards – Green Office programme starts its Phase Two development in July 2017, and by then all offices on campus will be involved. “We are beginning to give substance to our conversations about environmentally responsible office practices in our workplace,” Joseph added, “There were some lessons learned along the way. We saw difficulties, challenges, and yet unlimited opportunities and potentials. If everyone does his part, the cumulative impact on our campus can be significant. Our green values will consolidate, and sustainable work practices will gradually transform into personal changes.”