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About the GTP
Staff and Board
Basic description
Residential program
team
description
Business program
Measuring results
Our niche
Self Study
Program
Tides Center
Locations
Join A Green Team
Mission & Goals
Our Supporters
Online
Resources
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It is the team process that makes the Green Team Project
successful. Employed by many other entities such as the Grameen Bank,
Weight Watchers, and Alcoholics Anonymous, the team process works
because people feel empowered, supported and responsible to the group.
They feel a part of something
meaningful and bigger than themselves. With the support of a customized
version of our workbook (Green Action Guide: Steps to Sustainable
Living
), a resource binder full of local information, and a trained coach, we
assist communities (i.e., neighborhoods, cities, counties), schools
(i.e.,
universities, high schools), and organizations (i.e., non-profits,
community
groups, churches) in forming "Green Teams." A team is comprised of 6-8
people who meet every other week for seven weeks. At each meeting one
of the following chapters (resource areas) of the workbook is explained
and discussed: 1) Solid waste; 2) Water usage; 3) Household chemicals;
4) Energy usage; 5) Transportation; and 6) Community action. At every
meeting, there is usually an educational presentation and discussion on
that week's resource and then each team member chooses the
actions
he/she plans to take before the next meeting where they report on what
they
accomplished.
Each chapter in our Green Action Guide provides
participants with "facts" relevant to the topic and the environment,
"goals" to achieve, and "green steps" (action steps) for participants
to take before the next team meeting. The following is an example from
the energy chapter demonstrating one goal, one fact, and one green step
(out of eleven) with the actions to complete the green step:
Fact > Americans are 5% of
the world's population yet use over 33% of its energy.
Goal > Cut your home energy use and related pollutants
by 20%
Green Step #6 > Do low-energy laundry
Actions: a. Wash only full loads.
b. Use cold water to wash and rinse. It cleans and rinses just as
well as
hot or warm for most loads without using extra energy to heat the
water.
c. Use a clothesline. Clothes hung on a drying rack
(inside/outside) last
longer. Exposure to heat over and over again weakens most fabrics.
d. Empty the lint filter first if you use a clothes dryer. Do
loads one after
the other while the machine is still hot.
e. Buy a gas dryer (if gas is available in your neighborhood).
They are
more efficient and cost less to operate than electric models.
Look for
the energy star label as well.
At the last meeting or graduation, the results presented are
on average no less than a minimum of 10-30% reduction in each resource
area
for each team member. Each member also realizes significant monetary
savings on bills and through new found environmentally responsible
purchasing habits. The aggregate result is an increase in the
preservation of local and global natural resources, an improved quality
of life, and a committed constituency and consumer base who are
concerned about their impact on the environment. Our program allows
people to follow through on their concerns and good intentions
with a positive model of change and provides them with the statistical
results
of their actions.
In addition to measurable monetary and resource savings, the
team process also:
- builds a strong sense of community and a committed group
of action-oriented people concerned about the impact of their
consumption habits on the environment,
- develops leadership and research skills in every member
when they each lead a meeting,
- offers a comfortable forum where people can learn about
environmental issues, meet new people, and exchange ideas,
- develops money saving skills through resource
conservation and changing their purchasing habits, and
- reaches beyond the team member to their whole family or
household, friends, and colleagues.
Testimonial : Team member Richard Goetz said
being on a team was "very enlightening because it was fun, you learn
and
you meet good people. I think it's just wonderful and everybody should
do
it."
Testimonial: Team member and senior
environmental administrator of the City of Santa Monica, said: "A side
benefit of the Green Team Project is that in a way it builds additional
staff or advocates for my department. It builds a constituency and
consumer base that cares about the environment, actively supports the
sustainability plan of the city,
and through product choice demonstrates and supports a market for
environmentally responsible products."
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Self-Perpetuating Model
Our approach is unique in that it consists of a program that
can be replicated anywhere and used by any entity (i.e., city,
non-profit organization, religious group, business, university).
It can also be tailored to a region's specific resources by
incorporating local situations and resource information directly into
the workbook making it very user
friendly.
The program is an experiential educational process --
learning by doing -- and self-perpetuates in that we "train the
trainers." At the last meeting, participants are asked if they want to
be a coach
for a future team and to bring friends, neighbors, and colleagues to
form
new teams thus continuing the process throughout the community. This is
all done on a volunteer basis. Because the teams are fun and
participants
gain a tremendous amount of pride from knowing that their lifestyle
changes
make a direct beneficial impact on the local environment, there has
been
a genuine level of enthusiasm and excitement in recruiting others to
begin
new teams.
We encourage local ownership of the program by initiating,
training and supporting affiliate programs. The structure entails a
small coordinating main office and many affiliate programs run by local
entities (i.e., local non-profits, universities, city departments)
throughout the country. The role of the main office is to find and
train new affiliate
programs and continue to support and guide them as they develop and
build
more teams. The role of affiliate programs is to build teams and
develop
the program to fit their community. This model allows flexibility for
the
affiliates to meet the needs of their local community and enables the
main
office to focus on the perpetuation of the program in new areas without
administering each local affiliate.
Summary
The Green Team Project builds community spirit,
enables people to learn about and conserve valuable natural resources,
and
helps individuals and businesses save money. It gives people clear,
factual
information in an easy-to-use format and demonstrates alternatives to
materialism,
unrestricted economic growth and resource use, and provides practical
ways
for people to first become aware of, and then change their consumption
patterns
and relationship to the earth. The program is an effective instrument
to
achieve many environmental goals. Built into its materials and process
is
a high standard of quality and accountability as well as a positive
model
for change with measurable results. By its nature, the Green Team
Project
addresses many individual, family, and community needs and issues and
actively
promotes cross-pollination and collaboration between all entities it
encounters
whether they are government agencies, individuals, organizations or
institutions. The goal is to reach as many people as possible and to
adapt to each new situation and area.
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Residential
Program
The Green Team Project's residential
program focuses on individuals and their households. Teams are
formed
in numerous ways through churches, neighborhood associations, friends
and
family members, company workplace teams (during their lunch hours),
Mom's
groups, non-profit organizations, civic community groups, government
outreach
programs, apartment buildings, and the list goes on. The
locations
of team meetings vary but are predominantly held in team members homes
(with
potluck dinners or appetizers), library meeting rooms, and workplace
conference
rooms.
There is a small cost for each team member of $25. This fee
includes a workbook customized to the local area, a supplemental
resource binder
full of additional local information, the support of a trained coach to
facilitate meetings, and calculated individual and team results that
measure
how much a team member and the team accomplished in regards to resource
and
monetary savings. A scholarship fee is based upon a need-based
request.
Please see the
team
description page for more detailed information on the team process.
If you would
like to start your own team contact the
main
office for more details.
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Business
Program
In addition to performing residential teams through
neighborhood organizations and companies, the program also
offers a separate business assessment program. For small- to
medium-sized
businesses, the Green Team Project performs an environmental assessment
in
six resource areas (i.e., water, energy, chemicals, solid waste,
transportation
and community involvement). Upon completion of the assessment, a
report
is generated with baseline uses of resources and recommendations of how
the
company can reduce its use of the resources, its environmental impact
and
same time and money. If the company decides it would like help
with
the implementation of the recommendations, for a small fee-for-service
the
Green Team Project helps the company follow through on achieving
resource
savings. Ideally, an employee team is formed and implements the
recommendations. If there are not enough employees in the company, we
hope to engage local
university environmental and business students through an
internship-for-credit
program. We are still in the pilot stage with this assessment program
but
preliminary results show that this is an effective method to
demonstrate
to businesses that they can make money and be environmentally
responsible. Business management also sees it as a successful employee
morale booster
and a preliminary training program for how to incorporate the
environment
into everyday business activities.
This program is currently offered in Duval
County only.
Please contact the
Green Team Project's main office for
more information.
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Measuring
Results: Quantitatively and Qualitatively
A clear advantage of our program is that our process of
team-based action with a workbook achieves our program goals every time
a team is completed. With each team there is some
level of resource conservation, education about sustainability, support
for
practicing environmentally sustainable lifestyles, community building,
a
reaching out to other communities, and a self-perpetuating process.
Another advantage of the program is that its results are
measurable. Once a Green Team is formed in a community,
participants are asked to audit and record their consumption and
conservation habits in each of the five
categories, both before and after specific action steps are
taken.
They are also asked to record what actions they took before joining a
green
team, during the team, and what they will do after the team.
These
records are then entered into our database and results calculated.
At the final celebration meeting, participants receive their results
and statistics showing financial and natural resource savings made
individually and as a team. These statistics are derived from our
sophisticated
database full of formulas about CO2 emissions, kilowatt hours, gallons
of
water, miles driven and much more. The report serves as key
feedback
to show participants that their actions do make a difference on a local
and
regional level, which encourages further involvement and recruitment of
friends,
family, neighbors and co-workers who are invited to attend the
celebration.
Reports are also provided to the local government and funding entities.
In addition to measuring the quantitative results of our teams, we
measure the success of our program using a qualitative method. A
written evaluation form passed out at the last meeting solicits
feedback on the team process, program materials, and coaching, as well
as suggestions for improvements
and new resources pertinent to the community. The team manager,
affiliate project director and executive director of the main Green
Team Project office, review the evaluations for incorporation into
future programs. It
is an effective way to learn what people are thinking about the program
on many levels.
To date, we have received very positive responses from
participants. Whether in workplace teams such as at the Shaklee
Corporation, or in community-based teams, participants have expressed
high-levels of satisfaction with the
program. Where improvements have been needed, our adjustments in
the
materials and program services to reflect customer needs have proven to
be very effective.
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Our Niche
As an organization, the Green Team Project fulfills
an important need in American society. Surveys indicate that there is a
disconnect between Americans' concern for
the environment and their own individual unsustainable consumption
habits
and attitudes. The Green Team Project addresses this disconnect with a
positive
and proven team-based action approach.
All the information is out there in pamphlets, books,
magazines, documentaries, and websites on how individuals and
businesses can reduce their environmental impact. The problem
is that most people don't know where to start, feel immediately
overwhelmed
or skeptical about the prolific information available to them, or feel
that
what they do will make very little difference in the grander scheme of
things.
Through informal surveys of individuals, the Green Team
Project has learned that most people are overwhelmed by the mention of
environmentally sustainable lifestyle changes. The surveys also
indicate that people are:
- confused by conflicting information about the
environmental problems,
- disconnected from the environment (they do not see it as
a part of their lives and therefore do not see their role in it),
- unaware of the negative environmental consequences of
many of their current actions,
- unaware of how easy it is to change basic habits with
little sacrifice or change in standard of living,
- unmotivated to change because they feel as individuals
they can not make a difference, and
- too busy to focus on yet
another aspect of life that demands time and effort.
Despite all these obstacles, most people are very concerned
about the environment, want to do something to help, but don't know
what they can do. According to a Gallop poll in March 2001, 71%
of Americans considered themselves active or sympathetic participants
for the environment. Possibly even more interesting is that the
same study indicated that 74% of Americans would be willing to
pay an additional $100 per year for consumer products produced using
more
effective industrial emissions standards. Almost two-thirds (63%)
would be willing to pay an additional $500 per year. Americans
need
help in taking action upon their concerns. The Green Team Project meets
that need with a proven and successful process.
The Green Team Project combines this general concern for the
environment and desire to do something about it by addressing the
obstacles that prevent people acting on their concerns. The
Project gives people clear, factual information in an easy-to-use
format and educates them about the changes
they can make to avoid negative impacts on the environment. The
friendly, supportive, no-pressure atmosphere of a small group empowers
people to follow through on their promised actions and demonstrates
clearly that each individual can make a difference. We advocate
higher resource efficiency and
smarter, more environmentally friendly consumption. Our project
promotes
positive change and builds a greater sense of community.
We differ from other environmental organizations by being
"on the ground" and educating one person (or rather a team of eight
people) at a time and helping them succeed in carrying out and
maintaining many conservation actions. We are helping to create a
groundswell of individuals and businesses who care about the
environment and continue to demand for better environmentally friendly
products, legislation, and policy by supporting people to be
environmentally responsible themselves. Our process is labor and
resource intensive but the rewards are incredibly rich. Just the
creative problem-solving and ideas that come from one team meeting
demonstrates the capacity for change and the sphere of influence.
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