This week BCM launched its newly formed Green Team in a concerted effort to reduce the agency's carbon footprint.

According to BCM Partner, Kevin Moreland, a recent assessment of the agency's carbon output motivated management and staff to consider new, more environmentally-responsible ways of living and working.

"We were amazed to find that a white collar business like ours generated between 400 - 450 tonnes of carbon per year. And a number of staff members were keen to get together to see what we could do to reduce that," said Moreland.

The result was the formation of the BCM Green Team, a group of people from different areas of the agency, eager to give the environmentally-conscious workplace the green light.

"We've generated a long list of green thoughts and ideas, and already a number of practical steps have been taken to reduce our carbon output" said Moreland.

"We've changed to green energy for starters, and we're well on the way to replacing old lighting and appliances with more energy-efficient alternatives."

Encouraging staff to carpool and use more public transport is also on the agenda, and a program of rewarding employees for innovative 'green thinking' is underway.

"The aim," said Moreland, "is to become carbon-neutral in the next 24 - 36 months".

"We'll be monitoring our progress every 6 months and reporting the results to staff."

As communication professionals, Moreland believes the agency owes it to clients and suppliers to lead the way in making an effort to slow down global warming.

"We're planning educational seminars and other initiatives to encourage our suppliers and clients to review their own situations at work too. And we hope our experiences will provide them with plenty of simple, economically and environmentally-sound ideas to try in their workplaces."