With over 45 Environmental Champions and 400 employees actively involved in RE Green Teams

For example, in 2008:

  • The Green Team at LexisNexis Oakbrook US recycled 2.48 pairs of shoes per employee and donated $1,000 to Share Your Soles, a charity that provides shoes to those in need across the developing world
  • The Reed Business Information UK Green Team in the year ran a campaign to reduce energy, increase recycling, and introduced a comprehensive travel plan which culminated in their winning a Sutton Green Guardian Award
  • An Elsevier UK Green Team member helped one of her suppliers, MPS in New Delhi India, establish a Green Team of their own

Following a New Year Green Resolution competition, we asked winners to create a video diary for World Environmental Day 2008, outlining the problems they faced, and offering tips on everything from cutting down on consumption of land-intensive meat and dairy products to suggestions for sustainable household products.

A LexisNexis Great Idea Contest in 2008 yielded over 400 environmentally friendly suggestions including, paperless expense reports, electronic contract submission, and installation of occupancy sensors in locations where we do not already have them. Each person who participated in the competition received a $25 Great Performer Award and six winners received $1,000 as a bonus from the company.

Our operations have an impact on biodiversity, primarily through water extraction, building work, transportation and facilities management. We have few sites with surrounding land; however, where we do, we plant drought tolerant indigenous species to reduce irrigation requirements and increase biodiversity. Over the last four years, Earthwatch and RE have successfully collaborated on biodiversity conservation and education and, in 2008, a European team of employees once again monitored marine mammals with the Cetacean Research and Rescue Unit in Scotland, and a US team joined a Marine Mammals of Monterey project. Following, we provided the US team with funding for a local community project that helped reinforce the skills and knowledge they acquired on the expedition. They also profiled their blog on our RE environmental intranet site, the Green Room.

In 2008, Reed Elsevier’s approach to employee involvement was profiled in the Doughty Centre’s Corporate Responsibility Champions Network: A How to Guide which highlights successes and challenges in building staff environmental networks.