Programs for the Workplace

Workplace courses, brown bag lunch programs, corporate, organization courses, employee education, sustainability education, employee engagement tools

Our newest discussion course, Sustainable Systems at Work, is designed specifically for the workplace setting.

The Northwest Earth Institute offers ready made employee engagement programs designed to foster high-quality and effective sustainability education that inspires personal, team and organizational engagement in a variety of topics pertaining to enhanced human and environmental health.

NWEI process and content drive behavior change, aligning employee actions with sustainability objectives, moving employees towards greater internal consensus on sustainability innovations. Combining education with social dynamics, NWEI course work provides the context, inspiration and support for employees to accept change, voluntarily act and innovate towards a new way of doing business. Hundreds of businesses and organizations have benefited from incorporating NWEI programs into their sustainability initiatives, including corporate leaders such as Standard Insurance, Intel, Hewlett Packard, HDR, Nike, Microsoft, Heifer International and Starbucks.

"NWEI courses complement Starbucks' commitment to sustainability by enriching internal discussions and giving participants a clear understanding of their direct role in the conservation of natural resources. As a result, these individuals are better equipped to assess environmental issues and embrace innovative solutions in the workplace and in their personal lives. We highly recommend NWEI programs to organizations that believe in driving change from the inside-out."

-Ben Packard, Starbucks Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility

Benefits of Participation

Employers can use NWEI to inspire action and self-directed engagement from their employees, improve morale and team building, as well as develop leadership skills.
Employees can use NWEI to experience new ideas, collaborate and share best practices.
Teams can learn how to engage in sustainability efforts and topics in order to improve operational planning.
Participants can learn how to link social, economic and environmental priorities together into a a more sustainable framework, as well as how to create a shared vision that can be translated into collective action.

Why Employee Engagement Now?

Environmentally Educated and Engaged Employees Pay Dividends. Read National Environmental Education Foundation's 2010 Business Case for Environmental and Sustainability Employee Education Report
Over 90% of employees want more sustainability training. Read Sustainable Life Media's article on the importance of employee engagement and education.
The more an employer has a system for employees to share ideas and best practices, the more likely the initiative is to succeed, almost 3 to 1. Read Scott Cooney's article summarizing Brighter Planet's 2010 Survey Results

Download NWEI's Introductory Packet for Businesses

Contact us to learn more about the support services we offer in implementing NWEI programs, such as customization of course materials, site specific training, course pilot training and roll out training and supports.