News / Sustainability
Employees urged to get their hands dirty
Employers are being invited to donate staff time to worthwhile green projects for Environment Action Week. Set to take place on October 12-16, the scheme will see companies such as Cabot Circus, Mitie and the Environment Agency release workers from the office for a day to get their hands dirty.
Volunteers will be working across a number of different sites, including Elm Tree Farm in Stapleton where the Brandon Trust runs projects to support children with learning difficulties. Extra hands will help with the harvesting of vegetables, selling produce in the farm’s shop and converting an outbuilding for charity use. Elsewhere, volunteers will be helping Bristol City Council’s parks department with tree planting, landscaping, gardening and clearing ponds.
Organisers say participation brings personal and corporate benefits, acting as a team-building opportunity, boosting job satisfaction levels and building ties with the local community. A recent Gallup study showed that companies with high levels of employee engagement had nearly four times greater earnings-per-share growth than those without. These same employees also worked 57% harder and were 87% more likely to stay with a business that is supportive of activities beyond their normal duties.
“As Bristol’s year as European Green Capital enters its final months, there’s still time to get involved with various projects in and around the city,” says Laetitia Watts, Project Coordinator, Business in the Community. “We’ve made joining in with Environment Action Week as easy as possible. Volunteers only commit to a single day within the week, the choice of which is flexible, there’s no minimum team number and it costs just £50 per person, a charge we hope employers will pay in a show of support for their staff.
“This is a great chance for employees and employers to contribute to what’s been an excellent year for the environment in Bristol.”
For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, email [email protected].
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