Building Green Workplace Culture
PolyU prioritizes sustainability in every aspect of our operations and our daily work routines to cultivate an environmentally-friendly mindset among our staff. To foster further growth in this mindset, the Green PolyU Awards – Green Office (GPA-GO) programme, steered by the Campus Sustainability Committee and the Campus Sustainability Office, was established in 2016. This programme, focusing on involving staff and promoting change, is an internal platform within PolyU that allows office staff to shape and execute ideas and suggestions to incorporate sustainable practices into daily operations. Staff from participating offices are invited to attend training sessions and external visits to enhance their understanding of the theory and practice of green offices.
[Photo]: Trainings and visits were arranged to enhance green office understandings
During the year under review, the GPA-GO programme entered its Phase 2 with increased participation from departments and offices. It was encouraging to see participating offices achieved more than 300 practical targets in various areas, including energy conservation, water conservation, waste reduction, increased recycling efforts, paper reduction, and green procurement – all of which focused on reducing potential negative environmental impacts caused by the offices’ daily operations. In June 2018, a special ceremony was held to recognize participants’ outstanding achievements and the success of Phase 2. The Human Resources Office, CPCE Student Affairs Office, and Health, Safety and Environment Office received the Green Office with Remarkable Progress Award, the Most Innovative Green Office Award, and the Most Efficient Green Office Award respectively. Representatives from the award-winning offices were also invited to share their insights and best practices with all participants.
[Photo]: The award-winning offices shared experiences in greening their workplace
To further inculcate and deepen the sustainability concepts to our staff, we plan to expand the scope of the GPA-GO programme to include “Sustainable and Healthy Workplace” and “Green Governance” aspects in future phases of the programme.