Environmental Awareness Training: Three Ideas for Greening the Company Culture

Environmental training is increasingly being recognized as a crucial element of any corporate environmental strategy. In turn, corporate strategies will be an essential component in the achievement of sustainable development. But how do companies respond to the need to change the everyday practices of staff at all levels? The evolution and progress of three very different training approaches taken in private and public sector organizations to promote change with regard to environmental management systems and principles are examined. This paper aims to assist training and development initiatives in companies of all sizes. Firstly, the progress made with an environment programme launched in 1989 by Kent County Council is considered, with the development and integration of an active green network initially using ‘Green Teams’ in 17 departments and incorporating a two-stage traditional training package as part of a long-term plan to develop environmental management systems. The mechanisms chosen by Kent County Council to sustain the momentum of these initiatives are also examined. Secondly, Earthwise, a computer-based simulation produced in 1995 in collaboration with ICI, Sheffield Hallam University and Sanderson CBT, is considered. This provides an interactive toolkit approach to exploring the environmental aspects of producing a fictitious plastic, ‘prolene’. The product requires the user to assume a decision-making role through a matrix of six main issues, such as energy and waste, and 21 sub-issues. At each sub-issue there are over 34 events, 200 pieces of advice on offer, over 200 generic principles and around 122 possible courses of action. Finally, Expert Training Systems plc, a company involved in training for a range of blue chip clients, created a ‘Developing People Programme’ using the outdoors and incorporating specified environmental projects. This idea has also been developed by some supermarket retailers who traditionally use the outdoors for junior and middle management training programmes.