LenovoPRO Staff Picks: Best Green Practice

As the human population becomes increasingly aware of the environmental state of our beautiful earth, so increases our awareness and urgency to start doing more about it. Making small adjustments to our lifestyles and routines can go a long way in ensuring our precious planet is green and growing for many generations to come.  

While we at Lenovo are making great strides and commitments to do our part in running a sustainable and environmentally friendly business & products, the collective impact of the individual can stack up pretty high. 

So, your LenovoPRO community team decided to share the little things we do to help contribute to a greener world. Hope you enjoy it and maybe get inspired to try something new! 

For the last three years, recycling dairy drink packages has become my habit. They are sustainable carton packages called Tetra Pack. I drop them off at my kid’s school and the students collect everything and ship to Tetra Pack factory. Then their school receives coupon points which turn into products like music instruments, sports equipment, or other useful items that work for students. The bottle caps are also collected at the school, and the materials turn into vaccine funding for children in developing countries. I believe that even a tiny effort in our daily life and routine can make an impact to our environment.

Mari Babikova, LenovoPRO Community Manager, Japan

One thing that I have tried to implement recently is shifting away from using single use items. I found myself going through at least 3 plastic straws a day, so I thought transitioning to paper straws would be “better” for the environment. Although that is in right direction, paper straws still create waste just like plastic straws. Ultimately, I was given some advice from one of my friends that tries to live a zero-waste lifestyle to buy a set of stainless-steel reusable straws. Not only do they create zero waste, but they are extremely budget friendly. Reusable straws come in an assortment of shapes and sizes and can be found at a variety of different stores and online. For my birthday, my husband even bought me a portable reusable straw that comes in a case and fits perfectly in my purse.  

Morgan Ammons, Global Content Producer, US 

Sean O'Leary, US

Plastic waste is a major problem worldwide, and one way that you can combat it within your business – while also encouraging healthy behavior among your employees – is installing a water dispenser meant for water bottles.  Encouraging your employees (and yourself) to drink more water throughout the day is a good way to stay productive and alert in a healthy way. However, providing employees with plastic, single-use water bottles that they throw away once empty only contributes to plastic pollution. If you provide your employees with their own (possibly branded) reusable water bottles and install a dispenser – you're doubling the positivity! 

Sean O’Leary, Lenovo SMB Content Strategist 

Beth Knittel, US

My green tip is simple and basic – reusable totes for grocery shopping. A common practice in some countries and communities to bring your own bags, plastic bags are still at large in much of the US. Reusable bags are beneficial not just for the planet but for you too! I wanted to get and use recycled totes for years! I finally got some about five years ago and haven’t looked back. After a few out-of-my-comfort-zone bagging experiences, it became second nature. Now, I don’t leave the house for a grocery trip without them.  

Depending on your household size, you can easily obtain reusable grocery bags (maybe even made from recycled plastic?!) for your regular grocery haul. You can designate certain totes at certain sizes for certain food groups. This helps with your organization and unpacking when you get home. A great way to keep the earth in mind and keep your life organized, reusable bags are one of my favorite green life practices. Plus, you can support your favorite organizations, businesses, ideas or sayings when you pick up a tote from a local business. Win-win-win I’d say.  

Beth Knittel, LenovoPRO Community Manager, US 

Sylvia Tran, AU

My sustainability tip is geared towards all the meat eaters out there – to give Meatless Mondays (or any day for that matter) a go! My partner and I are huge foodies and often don’t have restrictions to what we’ll eat. We have recently adopted one vegan day a week in an effort to be more conscious in our consumption and have loved it! While a plant-based diet is often tied to health, there are also documented benefits for the Earth – two birds, one stone! We’ve found plenty of amazing vegetarian/vegan restaurants since adopting Meatless Mondays. If you’re in Sydney, here’s a few of my favourites! 

• Yulli’s, Surry Hills or Yulli’s Brews, Alexandria (also amazing beer selection!) 
• Bad Hombres, Surry Hills 
• Chatkazz, Harris Park 
• Bodhi, CBD 

Sylvia Tran, LenovoPRO Community Manager, Australia 

Unfortunately, far too much food is thrown away every year, which is both expensive for the wallet and harmful for the environment. Especially since the food was produced for the garbage can, but still caused environmental pollution such as climate gases, energy consumption, water and soil pollution. Therefore, my sustainability tip is to avoid or at least minimize food waste. There are a few simple tips for this that anyone can implement: Check your supplies before shopping and shop with a shopping list, not by feel. Make sure you buy in moderation - don't stock up. After the best-before date has passed, check to see if the food is still edible. Once the best-before date has passed, food is not automatically bad. You can refrigerate leftover food for the next day or freeze it. Ultimately, only dispose of food leftovers in the organic waste garbage can. 

Diana Löchli, LenovoPRO Community Manager, Germany 

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For more on community staff suggestions and picks, you might enjoy What is your go-to WFH accessory?,  What model do you have?, LenovoPRO Productivity Staff Picks, & LenovoPRO NPO Staff Picks. 

What are some of your green tips or best practices? Share with the community in this forum thread!