The green warrior
James Richardson
Co-Founder & Partnerships
Posted: 24 Mar 2020
Almost every employee, myself included, has been in serious trouble with the boss this month.
However, it's had nothing to do with work or client satisfaction. Operations Director, Daniel, has launched a one-man Kony 2012-style offensive against rubbish! I hate to admit it, but he has a point. Our waste bins have long been overflowing with coffee cups, Curly Wurly wrappers, banana peels and junk mail (real-world junk mail) - and that's embarrassingly wasteful.
To snap us into line, he's purchased twin EcoBin recycling and landfill bins for each workstation. We'd love to say this simple addition changed our habits overnight, but it's actually taken a little time for some of us to get used to. We all knew that paper was recyclable, but what about paper bags with small food scraps on them? Or broken glass? Or foam packaging? The answers are 'yes', 'no' and 'no' by the way.
Lachie getting some much needed basketball practice.
It turns out 'going green' is not just about buying a yellow bin, it's an ongoing education. There are now signs in our kitchen, and our group chat application, Slack, now has a dedicated 'recycling' channel, where we post questions about what we can and can't chuck away. There are bigger plans for the future too; we're now recycling 'soft plastics' separately and planning to start a compost heap on our rooftop!
We've also switched to a greener electricity company called Powershop, we're using KeepCups for our takeaway coffee, and buy our afternoon snacks in bulk to save packaging and money.
Sure, none of these are massive changes, but collectively they make a decent impact. So here's the part where I'll preach. Is recycling at your work a token effort, or do all of your colleagues do their part for the environment?
The biggest thing I've learned in this process is that a lot more materials are recyclable than I first thought. If you take just a bit of time to look at your own workplace, perhaps you'll discover something different. It might be a report that doesn't need to be printed, a regular purchase you can change, or an incentive for your employees to ride to work.
So go ahead and see what green opportunities you can find. Don't be fazed if your colleagues call you a 'hippie'. Captain Planet and the Optimising team are proud of you.
James Richardson
Co-Founder & Partnerships
Working in the SEO industry for many years alongside some of Australia’s biggest brands, James started his online career running online Sports Fan sites, as well as cutting his teeth on several successful eCommerce brands and content sites.
Previously holding various senior roles across the Sales and Marketing teams for ASX listed companies, he went on to found Optimising with Daniel and is proud he has helped mould it into one of Australia's leading SEO agencies.
When he’s not in the office he’s at home having pretend tea parties, or building a cubby house in the lounge room with his three young girls.
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We value purpose over profit and take action.
Our values and beliefs have always set the tone and approach to our business. It's not just enough to grow as a company and produce profits, we have a global responsibility to make our economy more inclusive and sustainable. As both a B Corp and a member of 1% for the planet, we have further cemented this purpose within our organisation.
However, our work isn't done quite yet. For Optimising, this is simple the start of our journey towards building a better business and world!
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We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people as the Traditional Owners of the land now known as Richmond. We pay our respects to Elders from all nations - and to their Elders past, present and future.
Optimising is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness. We are able to grow and learn better together with a diverse team of employees.
