Dear Green My Ballard,

I do have a question. I work for a local company that means well and is great to work for, but really doesn't do a good job of recycling or anything like that. Many things get thrown away that I feel bad about. I don't want to make a fuss but don't know what to do. Any advice is appreciated!

Name Withheld

Dear NW,

You know, it's a really tough position to be in and there is no easy answer. But don't give up! I think with a little homework and a gentle nudge to management, you could be the one to make a big difference, not only in conserving resources, but saving your company some money.

One place to start is to identify what, exactly, is being thrown away. Is there food involved, metals or chemicals? How much over a month's time is being discarded?

Then, before you talk to the boss, check out Resource Ventures, a service of Seattle Public Utilities. Resource Ventures is a free resource to help businesses conserve resources in areas of water conservation, waste prevention, recycling, green building and storm water pollution prevention.

That's right, it's free. And not only that, many businesses find that they save money, some of them lots of money, by reducing waste or conserving water, just to name a couple.

At this point you're fairly armed with information (what's going into the waste stream that could be kept out) and resources ready to improve the situation.

When you meet with your boss, you could wisely say, "I've noticed that we seem to be throwing away a lot of (fill in the blank), and I have an idea that we could possibly save money here. I would be happy to research it and document my findings for your review."

Now, honestly at this point any decent boss should fall to his/her knees in awe of your devotion to the company and give you a raise.
I hope that helps, NW. I am consistently amazed at what happens sometimes when even one small step is taken, so congratulations for trying to make your workplace a bit greener.

Rhonda lives in Ballard and is the Urban Crop Circle Project Leader for Sustainable Ballard. You can reach her with questions or comments at Rhonda@sustainableballard.org.