Green by Design: Finding Opportunities to Innovate our Everyday Actions for our Environment
Design for Sustainability: Gain Awareness of Challenges and Ideate Your Green Impact
In this in-person or virtual workshop, we aim to solve real-world eco challenges within your organization, with a focus on bettering our environment in small ways that might grow. As a result, your team will not only gain a deeper understanding of what they can do to help our environment, but also learn design thinking to help grow a culture of collaboration and eco innovation.
Green Thinking Eco Workshop Activities in a Challenge-Ideas-Action Design Thinking Flow
Challenge: Here’s a list of sustainability challenge prompts that individuals or teams could take on to become more aware and reduce their environmental impact in both work and daily life. These can be used for ideation, group discussion, or as a menu for a “pick-your-challenge” activity in your workshop:
🌿 Personal & Work Habits (Everyday Impact)
- Ditch Single-Use Plastics
→ Bring your own reusable water bottle, coffee cup, and utensils - Sustainable Commuting
→ Walk, bike, carpool, or take public transport instead of driving solo - Energy-Saving Work Habits
→ Turn off lights/screens when not in use, set devices to energy-saving mode - Mindful Purchasing
→ Choose sustainably made or second-hand items - Reduce Food Waste
→ Bring lunch in reusable containers, plan meals, compost scraps - Remote Work Energy Challenge
→ Measure and reduce home office energy use - Digital Sustainability
→ Unsubscribe from emails, delete old files, reduce data storage when possible
📦 Product & Packaging Challenges (Team/Org Level)
- Rethink Packaging Waste
→ Identify and reduce excessive packaging in shipped products - Battery & E-Waste Collection
→ Create a battery or electronics recycling program for employees or customers - Product Life Extension
→ Brainstorm ways to make products easier to repair, reuse, or recycle - Green Product Innovation
→ Ideate on eco-friendly materials or circular design for upcoming product lines - Sustainable Merch or Swag
→ Audit and improve sustainability of branded items or giveaways
🌎 Community & Advocacy (Beyond the Office)
- Eco-Education Moments
→ Host a monthly green tip, lunch & learn, or mini sustainability quiz - Team Volunteering
→ Organize a cleanup, tree planting, or donation drive - Sustainable Event Planning
→ Make your next virtual or in-person event zero-waste or carbon-aware - Localize Your Impact
→ Research and support local sustainability efforts in your region - Climate Conversation Starter
→ Practice talking about environmental issues with friends or coworkers
💡 Challenge Activity Prompt (for Workshop)
“Pick a challenge that excites you or feels meaningful. Generate ideas for actions you could take to move the needle on this challenge—starting this week.” What might be your “acorn project” to grow more of a Green Mindset in your work?
(After they select an eco challenge area, we would lead them through connecting with others in breakout rooms, generating ideas, and creating a small action they might take.)
Please contact us if you are interested in a workshop like this designed and facilitated for your group. (Also see our Sustainability Workshops page.)