Greening the UN: step-by-step we can make a difference

13 June 2007 - So much of what we hear regarding climate change doesn't seem to pertain to us as individuals.  The extent of the problem is on such a large scale that it seems that one person's contribution, either at home or at work, can't possibly make a difference.  Actually it can, and in a new series, "Greening the UN", iSeek will show you how.

As iSeek previously reported, the Secretary-General has called on "all staff members throughout the UN family to make common cause" with him through dedication and perseverance, "using energy more efficiently and eliminating wasteful practices."

Did you know that your UNEP colleagues in Nairobi had already taken such an initiative?  The Step-by-Step team is a group of UN staff members engaging in the implementation of an environmental policy on the UN compound in Nairobi. As their name indicates, by initiating small changes they try to improve the environmental housekeeping on the UN complex.

As an example, at the occasion of the November 2006 UNFCCC COP 12 (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Conference of the Parties), they launched an initiative allowing the participants to offset their emissions caused by flying to the venture.  Click here to read about their carbon offsetting initiative.

And did you know that right here on iSeek, ESCAP has created an "Energy Saving Homepage for the United Nations Building in Bangkok"?  You'll find tips there that pertain to all duty stations.

Maybe you'd like to set up a team at your duty station or workplace.  If you've already done so, let iSeek know about it.  Or perhaps you could share your specific energy-saving ideas with iSeek and your colleagues.

As part of our Greening the UN series, iSeek will be featuring the Step-by-Step team's and other individual's and team's stories.

Through our individual initiatives and collective efforts, we can make a difference by being a part, as the Secretary-General said, of "the Organization's direct contribution to global efforts to safeguard our planet and climate."