EcoLogicals – making Roche even greener
"We wish to raise awareness for an environmentally-conscious lifestyle among Roche employees and motivate them to implement their own projects to improve sustainability," explains Theresa Knothe, Sustainability Manager and contact person for EcoLogicals.
The bottom-up initiative was founded in January 2019 with just three members. Since then, it has really taken off – the community now has over 1,800 members. They were drawn to the group through campaigns on World Water Day and a vegetarian day in Basel and Kaiseraugst, on which 5.5 tonnes of CO2 were saved. By April 2020, 1,000 Roche employees were already members of EcoLogicals. In May 2020, a global network consisting of twelve Roche sites was founded, and in June 2020 the first newsletter was sent out.
Local and bottom-up
EcoLogicals is currently managed by a group of nine employees from the PS, SHE, GPS, pRED and PD departments. They meet every two weeks, plan events and campaigns for the EcoLogicals community and provide support to employees who have submitted or wish to submit a project. "It is important to us that the ideas become successful projects and that they are implemented here on site," emphasises Theresa. A project to make the Basel and Kaiseraugst sites more bird-friendly is currently underway. "We now know which bird species can be found at the site and we are in the process of defining measures," Theresa explains. Another project team aims to reduce the number of business flights, as air travel generates more than 60 per cent of the CO2 emissions at the site (see also Expedition SmallFoot). A total of eight projects have already been successfully concluded, while seven others are ongoing and two new projects are planned.
The working conditions under COVID-19 are also posing new challenges to the EcoLogicals. Instead of hands-on projects which can be implemented together on site, a lot of virtual initiatives are currently taking place. For example, Theresa has held an interview with Roche gardener Pascal Eicher about how each one of us can help support biodiversity and native animals in autumn. To encourage employees to take part, the EcoLogicals have launched a photo competition with the question: Have you had any animal guests in your garden this autumn? You can share your snapshot in the EcoLogicals Currents Community using the hashtag #animalsinautumn. The photo with the most likes wins! The winner will receive a little surprise in the post.
By the way: the EcoLogicals are always happy to welcome new members. The initiative is also supported by the AVR.
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