9 Earth Day Employee Engagement Ideas

Hands-on environmental work gets your team outside for some good old fashioned bonding through service. Whether it's planting trees, cleaning up litter, removing invasive species, or installing a community garden, helping to restore your local environment is a rewarding and worthwhile way to celebrate Earth Day! 

Fundraising for an environmental cause is a great way to get your employees engaged with sustainability. You can do this in a number of ways, including by matching employee donations to a selected nonprofit, or creating a custom fundraising microsite to inspire your team.

If your company doesn't already have a green team or sustainability committee, Earth Month is a great time to start one! Corporate green teams can work on a range of projects that improve corporate sustainability. This might include investigating ways to green up your supply chain, reducing your overall environmental footprint, educating fellow employees about ways to be sustainable, or rolling out internal sustainability initiatives.

Working with an environmental auditing organization can help you identify areas where you could improve your energy efficiency, reduce your carbon footprint, or shrink utility bills. The right organization can help you navigate available incentives, determine what opportunities will serve your organization best (ie. opting for renewable energy sources) and create an achievable plan to implement their suggestions.

The average office employee generates a lot of waste. You can reduce your office footprint by installing (or improving) recycling stations near communal areas, offering exciting incentives for top recyclers, and more. By setting business-wide or team-wide goals and following up on them, you can motivate your employees to significantly reduce their office waste footprint.

One of the best ways to celebrate Earth Month is by engaging an environmental expert or nonprofit representative to teach your team about the environment and sustainability. Consider booking an expert for an in-person workshop, traveling offsite to learn in the field, or scheduling a virtual presentation.

Start a Meatless Monday challenge to see if your entire workplace can go a whole day without meat! Why go meatless? According to research published by the New York Times, people who follow a plant-based diet account for 75% less in greenhouse gas emissions than those who eat more than 3.5 ounces of meat a day.

You know who we're talking about: the person who walks or bikes to work, brings their lunch from home in the same reusable container every day, fills their water bottle from the tap and recycles religiously. These are the employees who walk the walk — and they've got the green "cred" to prove it. By recognizing their commitment to the planet, you can demonstrate your sustainability priorities and inspire others to follow suit! 

Aside from planting trees or participating in sustainability initiatives, we believe that one of the best ways to celebrate Earth Month is by getting outside and enjoying nature. Because after all, we protect what we care about — and a strong connection to nature is great for our physical and mental health.  So round up the team to enjoy some bonding time in the great outdoors! Take a self-guided hike or engage a local nature guide to enrich the experience.