Being a Green Ambassador
Each PNO office has an appointed Green Ambassador. The ambassadors are responsible for driving local green initiatives and coordinate the ongoing projects, ex. Local Community Days. In Sweden they have Fleet Controller Michelle Bergsten who has been in the role for 2 years. Learn more about what being a Green Ambassador means to her and what has been some of the highlights so far.
The role explained by Michelle
The best thing about being a Green Ambassador is to see how everyone at the office are working towards the same goal. Regardless of if we need to complete a certain assignment at a help organization, out in the nature, or motivate each other in challenges.
A good example is the volunteer days I plan twice a year. At the Helsingborg office we get the opportunity to help organizations that already help the environment, we get to see how they work and offer our manpower while we get a good insight in what they do for the society. So far, we have been to both Erikshjälpen and the Red Cross.
During some of our volunteer days, we helped animals and nature directly through local cleaning days. An incredible amount of rubbish is thrown in nature and it is heartbreaking to see how squirrels in Helsingborg City have carried up old soda cans in the trees that they are trying to eat – unfortunately, a true story.
The employee’s bodies are also in focus during our volunteer days, as we exchange our sedentary office work for physical work. Working with sustainability does not only mean working for a sustainable planet, but also for a sustainable body.
HealthBingo is something I first introduced in the winter of 2019 and became very popular. On the competition tray the participants had to perform various tasks. The tasks ranged from vegetarian meals and physical activity to balance training, office yoga and enough sleep during the night. Five in a row gave bingo and the greatest number of bingos on the tray won. It was incredible to see the colleagues’ commitment and the changes they made during the period, but above all – the changes that lasted afterwards.
By being a Green Ambassador, I get to be a part of a change. Both with my colleagues, the company, the environment and myself. Therefore, it feels fantastic to be a part of this journey that PNO and all the employees around the countries do together – for us, for the planet and for those who will live here after us.
What is a Green Ambassador?
A network of local Green Ambassadors was set up in PNO back in 2018 to ensure that our sustainability strategy was locally anchored. These individuals act as both project managers, inspirational leaders, and informational links between local teams and our Group department for Sustainability. The network creates a foundation for knowledge sharing and the development of best-practice processes. They transform strategy into actions. Monitoring the local consumption of electricity, water, heat, and paper is one of the team’s main tasks (see the PNO Green Sheet).
