Recent Stories
Updates to Freecycle@Work are LIVE!
It’s an exciting time here at Freecycle@Work as we’ve added some fun new features to enhance your user experience! We’ve been tweaking the format and functionality and have listened to all of your questions Read more…
Freecycle@Work Makes a Splash at SOGB 2011
GreenBiz.com’s State of Green Business Forum took place last week in San Francisco to bring together “the world’s foremost innovators, thought leaders, and executives across all industries to discuss sustainability opportunities realized and challenges met in 2010.” Intuit’s Director of Sustainability Rupesh Shah presented our new offering, Freecycle@Work, to green business leaders Read more…
Freecycle@Work Thrives in Kentucky-Based Hospital Group
It started small…
A few whiteboards, some office furniture, a couple of toner cartridges – a list of cast-off office items at Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Healthcare (JHSMH) found new lives on Freecycle@Work.
Today, only three short months after launching Freecycle@Work, over 190 employees use the free online app, sharing everything from coffee makers to cleaning agents across all the Kentucky-based hospital facilities. “With over 6,000 employees working in four inpatient hospitals and nine ER and outpatient facilities, Freecycle@Work helps unite us in our shared sustainability mission,” explains Laura Swessel, the Performance Improvement employee at JHSMH who took it upon herself to introduce the hospital to Freecycle@Work. “It’s just one way we can recycle supplies and save money.”
Since Swessel helped start the hospital’s green committee in 2008, the recycling efforts do more than pay for themselves; they actually turn a profit. By simply placing recycling bins for toner, cell phones, cardboard and aluminum across campus for pick up by a local recycling center, the hospital has raised over $1,200. “Deposits from the recycling center really add up and help fund other green programs,” says Swessel. Such programs include 20% cafeteria beverage discounts for employees who use specially purchased green mugs and a project to eliminate styrofoam cups at the Corporate Services Center. “Our green committee encourages basic sustainable behavior,” Swessel explains. “Printing agendas for office meetings used to be second nature, but now we save the paper and use media presentations. It’s a new kind of culture setting in and Freecycle@Work is an easy way to help move that along.”
Since so many JHSMH employees already use freecycle.org at home, “people already know how to use it,” says Swessel. “I even found my puppy Gonzo on freecycle.org, so I know how great it can be.” To get her office using Freecycle@Work, Swessel sent an email to the hospital leaders complete with an easy-to-follow “Rules & Regulations” guide she created. Then she worked with the green committee members to get the word out about the app. With 70 first time users in just a few weeks, Swessel decided to help build on the momentum. “Every new employee to successfully recycle an item on Freecycle@Work, gets a F@W mug sent to their desk.” So far, that’s over 30 mugs and the green committee is just getting started. “Freecycle@Work is really catching on now and helping to make us a more sustainable hospital, one office item at a time.”
HP Looks Great in Green
Want to get employees to support green initiatives at work? Try this: support their green initiatives at home. It works for Palo Alto-based Hewlett-Packard (HP). As the world’s largest IT company, HP makes it easy for employees Read more…
Green Your Organization. Now.
A key learning from our survey a couple of weeks ago was that 45% of respondents were NOT members of a green team within their organization. This means that roughly half of our users have chosen to be Green Leaders and have found F@W through other channels! These Green Leaders are passionate, strong, independent, and open-minded. They (you) are excited about doing what it takes to promote CSR within their organization! Read more…
Green Team Center on GreenBiz
Need innovative ideas to help extend the goals of CSR and sustainability throughout your organization? GreenBiz.com, a website specifically designed to serve green-minded professionals across a broad range of industries and job functions, is launching its Green Team Center with our help! Read more…
Start a successful program in 3 steps
We started to use Freecycle@Work at Intuit a couple of years ago. It’s now used across multiple sites and we’ve got thousands of users contributing. But at one point there was a single person who had the passion to promote the idea. Read more…
Start a Freecycle Program at Work
As companies have begun their green journey my garage has acquired a plethora of reusable grocery bags, water bottles, and coffee mugs! I honestly wonder if all the excess I have is really greener than using a paper cup. Read more…
Welcome to FreeCycle@Work
The Freecycle Network has been working closely with Intuit Quickbase to develop this nifty new application which will help bring your Freecycle gifting experience into the workplace. We truly hope you love what we’ve cooked up. Read more…
