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A new type of benefit has emerged in businesses across the country, and it’s aimed at helping workers minimize their impact on the environment. Employers, particularly those in the green sector, are offering incentives to employees to live greener lives, both inside and outside the office. While many businesses have worked to improve their energy efficiency at the office, dedicated companies have extended their reach to include the homes and vehicles of their employees, helping their work forces to live carbon-neutral lives.

One company who has helped their employees reduce their carbon footprint is Clif Bar & Co., a Berkeley, CA based organic energy bar company. In the fall of 2006, Clif Bar started a program called Cool Commute aimed at reducing the amount of fuel their employees consumed in getting to work each day. The estimate that before the program, employees consumed approximately 29,500 gallons of fuel a year with 25 miles per gallon fuel economy. To reduce the amount of pollution and carbon dioxide produced by these vehicles, Clif Bar decided to offer incentives to employees who carpooled, used alternative transportation, or purchased a more fuel-efficient vehicle.

Clif Bar employees who walk, bicycle, or carpool to work can earn as much as $700 a year in rewards, tax free. They also offer a forgivable loan program of up to $5000 to help employees purchase a hybrid or biodiesel car. Those who stay with the company for a certain period of time do not have to pay back the loan. Clif Bar also plans to add two more energy-saving incentives for employees. They will now offer loans for energy-saving home improvements and commuter bicycle retrofitting. One of Clif Bar’s five aspirations is, “Sustaining our Planet: Keep our impact on the environment small, even as we grow.” Their employee incentives are great way to ensure that their impact is as small as possible.

Offering green incentives to employees is not just a great way to reduce a company’s carbon footprint. As a representative from the American Solar Energy Society told Renewable Energy World, “offering green benefits can make a difference in a candidate’s decision to join a firm.” More and more people are trying to minimize their environmental impact, and employers who support their efforts will attract top talent. Also, as the Wall Street Journal points out, “more young workers are seeking out employers with a socially responsible mission.” As the work force becomes saturated with younger employees, businesses will find more ways to support their environmental efforts, including commuting incentives, gift matching to green charities, and carbon offsets.

While Clif Bar is exactly the kind of company you would expect to support employees with green incentives, some experts predict that this trend will spread beyond “green collar” jobs. As Joel Makower, executive editor of GreenBiz.com, told the Wall Street Journal, “I think employers are just beginning to understand that, to have an environmentally conscious work force, you need to help them in their every day lives.” Makower expects green incentives to spread into mainstream industries not only because it helps attract employees, but also because of the good publicity it creates for businesses. As these incentives expand throughout the business landscape, workers will have no excuses for failing to do their part to protect the environment.

Friday, March 14th, 2008 You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

By Haley January Eckels