CHANGING THE CULTURE OF THE WORKPLACE
Laboratories are businesses and frequently managers demand that a business case be made to support changes.
Too often business decisions unintentionally damage human and planetary health or impact the most vulnerable.
For more information on how the purpose of business can be changed through leadership and innovation visit Forum for the Future https://www.forumforthefuture.org/Listing/Category/purpose-of-business
Reprogramming your organization
Goals:
- We set these great goals, but our co-workers see only a mountain; not the path up the mountain
- Don’t show the obstacles. Show the possibilities. One step at a time
- Show results. Small competitions amongst employees or departments. Often people can be encouraged to do one small thing.
- Bring your whole self to work.
There are now a number of frameworks to help businesses change to a more sustainable way of working.
This organization aims to promote a global culture of sustainability in scientific research and laboratories. They are a great source of information and inspiration.
The Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework, developed at Sustainable UCL, is a programme advising on actions which lab users can take to save plastics, water, energy and other resources. Laboratories are awarded either a Bronze, Silver or Gold level depending on how many sustainability actions they take.
LEAN is a group of UK universities that all share a similar motivation, reducing the environmental and economic impact of their laboratories. They believe that the higher education sector should collaborate to achieve the same goals more efficiently and comprehensively. Whilst LEAN is a system operating within the institutions involved, the aim is also to assist other universities in implementing their own Green Labs initiatives.
Investors in the Environment (iiE) is a national environmental accreditation scheme. It is designed to help organisations save money, reduce their impact on the environment, and get promoted for their green credentials. Upon successful implementation of the iiE criteria, members are awarded a recognised stamp of certification. In March 2022 RCVS announced that it had achieved Bronze level membership with Investors in the Environment (iiE). Read more here https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/news/rcvs-achieves-bronze-award-for-sustainability-from-investors-in/
International Organisation for Standardization (ISO)
Economic, environmental and societal dimensions are all directly addressed by ISO standards such as BS EN ISO 14001 :2015. These standards aid companies and organizations looking to implement sustainable development goals.