Green Steps @ Work

Upcoming Course Details and How to Apply

Green Steps @ Work is an intensive training program offering practical skills for organisational sustainability. This program attracts motivated people looking to gain a deeper understanding of sustainability issues, develop practical skills to initiate and drive sustainability programs and expand their environmental networks.

Green Steps @ Work is an initiative of the Monash Sustainability Institute and is an introductory level sustainability training course, with a practical focus on sustainability initiatives that can be implemented within organisations.

The course is ideal for:

• Those already working within organisations who would like to develop their sustainability skills and knowledge, with the view of implementing programs within their current work.
• Those looking to make a career shift to the rapidly growing sustainability sector.
• Postgraduate students wanting to enhance their professional skills and improve their chances of obtaining work in the environmental sector.

The Green Steps @ Work course consists of training and work-based project components.

Training

The Green Steps @ Work training constitutes a 30-hour course usually run over two intensive 2-3 day workshops. The training covers the following five key competencies:

1. Environmental issues and responses: covering issues such as waste, energy and water, and an understanding of organisational responses to environmental issues.
2. Environmental auditing: an introduction to waste, energy, water auditing, and conducting staff interviews and surveys.
3. Project planning and management: action plan design, problem maps creation and use creative solution generation.
4. Communication for change: effective communication to foster change within organisations, including compiling promotional materials, constructing coherent arguments and negotiation skills.
5. Behavioural change management: understanding the role of the change agent, personal and organisational drivers, behavioural change theory and practice.

Training is delivered in an informal, engaging and hands-on style.

The intensive training sessions are demanding and highly interactive and participants are encouraged to contribute, drawing on their own personal and professional experiences.

Specialist guest speakers also share their experiences with the group.

Work-based Project

The second component of the Green Steps @ Work program is the work-based project. This provides the chance to put the skills learnt during Green Steps training into practice and involves designing and carrying out a sustainability-oriented project within an organisation.

Over the duration of the work-based project, Green Steps participants receive mentoring and support from Monash Sustainability Institute staff with experience in implementing workplace sustainability initiatives. Projects can be as ambitious or as contained as their creators wish. Some examples include:

1. Collecting baseline data on organisational energy, waste or water use
2. Designing and implementing a sustainability action plan for your organisation
3. Establishing green procurement policies

A follow-up half-day is organised for participants to report back on the progress of their projects and learn of the experiences of others in the group.

Upon completing Green Steps @ Work you will also become part of a growing Green Steps alumni network of over 400 graduates.

What do participants say about Green Steps @ Work?

"I now have the skills of a change agent that will enable me to maintain and progress [my organisation] along the path to environmental sustainability."

"The Green Steps training has been extremely useful in changing and reinvigorating the approach to environmental sustainability [in our organisation]."

"I have a clearer vision of where I believe our organisation needs to go, and how I can drive this and take the lead to make a difference."

"It helped me to identify the skills that are transferable from one sector to another. It has given me a structure with which I can approach sustainability issues."

"I feel empowered to bring what I've learnt into my workplace, with an approach that is different and better than what I may have used in the past. I really found the course inspiring - it was great also to meet a group of like-minded individuals also aspiring for change."

You can also view the profiles of former Green Steps @ Work participants on the Alumni Profiles page.