Blog Action Day 2009 – Climate Change

Sharlyn Lauby

15 Oct 2009

HR Bartender is proud to be involved with Blog Action Day 2009 (aka BAD09). The purpose of BAD09 is for bloggers everywhere to write about a single subject in the hopes of increasing awareness for a cause. Last year, the topic was poverty and this year the subject is climate change.

When I first heard that the topic was climate change, I was like…hmm…this is a workplace blog. How can businesses get involved with climate change? Then, I checked out the EPA website. They have a whole section devoted to workplace best practices that can have a positive impact on the environment. I also discovered the EPA has a great kids’ site that explains what climate change is and how we can all make a difference. Between you and me, I enjoyed the kids’ site a whole lot more than the adults’ site…bright colors, great graphics and never once saw the words “regulatory initiatives.”

But just as I was getting ready to write this post, a headline from my SmartBrief on Sustainability newsbrief caught my eye. The headline read: “Apple resigned from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over Climate.” Their decision follows the resignations of Pacific Gas & Electric, PNM Resources and Exelon over climate policy differences.

If you didn’t think before that climate change is a business issue, then I hope that the actions of these companies send the message. We only have one environment, people. Consumers want to know that companies are sensitive to our climate as they produce their products. And, consumers are willing to support businesses that take care of our precious resources.

Being a socially responsible company is not just a nice thing to do. It makes good business sense.

I think it’s great to be able to use this blog for a global awareness purpose. I hope you enjoyed the change of pace and check out the EPA sites for more info. We’ll resume our regular programming about managers and martinis tomorrow…October 16 is National Liqueur Day and National Bosses Day!