Environmental Leader

There is a growing trend in Silicon Valley of employees forming green teams to push peers and bosses to become more environmentally aware, Mercury News reports.

Yahoo has 300 members in its green team. They have held green lectures and redesigned recycling bins. The team played a vital role in convincing Yahoo to set all its copy machines on two-sided printing mode, resulting in cutting paper consumption from 1.6 million to 750,000 sheets per month.

At eBay, the green team started with 50 people in 2007. Now it has over 1,200 members at 10 locations. The team held a Funky Mug contest to get people to reuse cups, dishes and utensils.

A 13-member green team was recently formed at LJ Engineering. The team is working to get customers to return packaging and use recycled paper for business cards and stationery. The team is also pushing the company to do more business with other green companies.

Yahoo’s director of climate and energy strategy, Chris Page, told Mercury News that the volunteer green team is a crucial element of what she does at the company. While Page works to reduce Yahoo’s carbon footprint, the team hosts educational events.

In January, San Jose Mercury News reported that the cafeterias in Silicon Valley’s high-tech companies are being made more energy efficient.

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