British Council-How green is your office

Transcript of the podcast

Belinda: So, what did you want to see me about Gordon? Is everything ok

Gordon: Fine. Fine. I wanted to talk about making the office greener

B: Oh. Well, I’m all ears

G: Have you read that leaflet yet? – the one from GreenWays

B: I had a quick glance yes. I thought we were pretty green in this office

G: So did I. But after reading that leaflet I’ve come to the conclusion that there are a lot more things that we could do. I’ve had a look at a couple of web pages and I’ve got a few ideas

B: Ok. Let’s hear them

G: Right, first of all I think we should start buying refillable pens. Disposable ones are cheap but we use hundreds. We should buy a box of pens and a supply of refills

B: Would that work out cheaper

G: Yes. They’d be cheaper and more ecological

B: Ok. What else

G: Paper

B: But we already recycle paper. We’ve been doing it for years

G: Yes. But the paper we buy isn’t recycled. We should buy recycled paper, without bleach

B: And the quality

G: There are different grades of paper. The best recycled paper is indistinguishable from the paper we’re using

B: But isn’t it more expensive

G: No, not any more. It used to be but these days the prices are more competitive

B: Ok, let me think about the paper. What else

G: The coffee machine

B: Go on

G: We should get rid of it and buy a kettle

B: Well I must admit I don’t like the machine coffee very much but I think we ought to consult the rest of the staff about that one

G: Ok. Fair enough

B: Anything else

G: Oh yes. We ought to replace the paper towels in the toilets with an electric hand dryer

B: Would that save money

G: Yes. And it would be much kinder to the environment. And

B: Yes

G: We ought to lower the thermostat on the heating

B: But people would complain if we did that

G: I’m only talking about one or two degrees

B: Would that make a difference

G: Yes, we’d save about £۲۰۰ a year in our heating bills

B: Goodness. You really have been doing your homework, haven’t you

G: That’s another thing I wanted to talk to you about

B: Yes

G: Well, I think you ought to pay me to be a green officer

B: (laughing): And what would that involve exactly, Gordon

G: Well, you wouldn’t have to pay me any extra but a part of my job description would include a few hours a month to make the office greener. I’d save the company hundreds of pounds and we’d all have a cleaner conscious

B: Well, you’ve certainly given me a lot to think about

G: Oh, I haven’t finished yet

B: What else is on that list

G: Ehm … low energy light bulbs, soyabased print cartridges, working from home once a month, bicycle racks

B: I’ll tell you what Gordon. Why don’t you write up a short proposal of what your job as “green officer” would consist of and what sort of changes you’d like to see made

G: And you’ll consider it

B: Yes. I think you’ve got a lot of good ideas. I’m sure we can come to some sort of an agreement. I’m afraid I have a meeting now so

Answers