Celebrating Earth Day with Our Green ERG
This April we handed over the Cengage Group LinkedIn to the co-leads of our Green Employee Resource Group (ERG), Charlotte E., Head of Strategic Marketing - ELT EMEA, Hanna G., Technology Project Coordinator, and Jared M., Director of Technical Product Management. Together, they organized a whole week of fun events and green challenges for our employees to celebrate the 52nd anniversary of Earth Day.
Charlotte shared that “it can be easy to overlook that our planet is in crisis, but we have to keep making efforts to reduce our impact on the environment. The climate crisis is complex and multi-faceted, so we organized a variety of activities that explored several areas of where and how improvements can be made, from carbon capture initiatives, to going meat-free, to microplastics in our oceans. We hope that hosting these events will encourage all Cengage Group employees to be more aware of their options and the consequences of their actions. Small changes can make a big impact, and with over 4,000 employees a small lifestyle changes made by us all could make a powerful difference to our collective impact. We may feel helpless as individuals, but as a collective we have a lot of power.”
Read more to hear about our Earth Day celebrations.
Hanna G. has worked at Cengage Group for 3 years and has always had a passion for protecting the environment. She shared that after completing her degree in Environmental Science, she worked as a Canvas Director for Environment America. “Although canvassing is taxing work, it was truly rewarding seeing the difference we could make in our campaigns. It was a huge motivator for me to co-found the Green ERG here at Cengage Group. Being a member of the ERG has connected me with colleagues who have similar interests and passions. I always look forward to our meetings and sharing discussions about the environment and what we can do to help.”
Hanna says that her favorite place on Earth to visit is Japan. “I currently live in Massachusetts, so the culture and environment are a great change of pace and I always enjoy every minute of my stay. Their lush forests and beautiful landscapes are breathtaking. It’s an amazing reminder of what this world has to offer.”
Charlotte E. has been a part of the Cengage Group family for over 8 years. When asked what green or earth-friendly resolution she wished everyone would make, she said “I wish everyone would turn down their heating and air conditioning. If you’re cold – grab a blanket. If you’re hot – put your feet in a bowl of cold water, it works, and saves money as well as the earth.”
Charlotte became passionate about “being green” as it became more and more evident to her that “the ‘take, make, waste’ model of consumption is completely unsustainable. We have finite resources and yet we are consuming and producing like there’s no end. I think that Earth Day is a great opportunity to reflect and consider areas where we can make sustainable lifestyle changes.”
Charlotte says that her favorite place on Earth is “the fells above the village where I grew up in the Northwest of England. The Howgills are a little part wilderness in a world that is rapidly been concreted over.”
Jared M. has worked here for 13 years. He says that “Earth Day is a time to take stock of the changes we’ve made to help our environment and resolve to do more in the next year. You can also take time to explain to others what you’re doing to live a more sustainable lifestyle and help them understand why it’s important to make similar changes.” Jared goes on to say “I think it is important that people are more vocal about the changes they want to see. As good citizens, it is our responsibility to make sure that our representatives are making decisions in support of the environment. If you’re not sure how to go about that, visit the NRDC website, they have a guide that I find to be helpful.”
Jared says that he has hope for the future, “I’m encouraged because it seems like we’ve reached a point where the foremost challenge is about raising awareness. Tremendous progress has been made in the development of solutions. Now, we need to make additional investments to make these solutions more efficient and less expensive.”
Jared’s favorite place on Earth to visit is Narragansett, Rhode Island. “My family and I have been vacationing there the past few summers. We love spending time relaxing at the beach, boogie boarding on the waves and biking around nearby Block Island.”
This year’s Earth Day celebrations at Cengage Group were a huge success with hundreds of employees participating in our Meatless Monday Slack Challenge, Composting Panel, Recycled Art Slack Challenge, Carbon Capture Presentation, and National Geographic Explorer Presentation. Hanna G. said that her favorite Earth Day celebration was “the National Geographic Explorer Presentation. Imogen Napper is an impressive, curious researcher and I am always interested to see what her constant research projects are discovering.” Charlotte E. shared that “I was really enthused by the recycled art project. I’ve been putting together a quilt made with old sheets and clothes that can be gifted to the charity shop.” Jared M. explains “the Carbon Capture Presentation was my favorite Earth Day event at Cengage. "Chemical Engineer, Gavin MacInnes presented a summary of the latest IPCC Assessment Report and covered the important role carbon capture technologies will play in combatting climate change. Our ERG is sharing recommendations with the participants of specific steps they can take to encourage additional investments in developing carbon capture solutions."
