Earth Day: Highlights from our green teams across the globe

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we announced that we’ll work to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner. To continue celebrating Earth Day and our global goals, we want to highlight the work of our Green Teams on the ground, making an impact at our Thomson Reuters offices!

Our Green Teams are groups of volunteers dedicated to managing our global environmental impacts and seeking sustainable alternatives. Here’s a look around the world at some of our Green Team successes.

“Treesponsibility” & Green Education – West Yorkshire, UK Green Team

Over the years, our Mytholmroyd Green Team in West Yorkshire has facilitated many events, including silent auctions, photo competitions, annual litter picks in the local parish, collection of mobile phones for recycling and cleaning up the local railway station. Our team also replaced all plastic cups in the pantries with mugs. While these are all important initiatives, two of the most important events take place in our local community, include tree planting and green education!On our Minnesota campus, we have a group of knitters, crocheters and "blanketeers" (people who quilt or make fleece, knitted or crocheted blankets) who make up our Crafting for Kids volunteer group.

Tree Planting

Our Green Team regularly links up with a local NFP, "Treesponsibility", to help plant trees across the region. Planting trees helps to improve the soil's ability to absorb water, thus reducing the impact of surface run-off, which can result in flash-flooding, and has been an issue in the region.

Green Education

Since 2013, the Mytholmroyd Green Team has worked with our local high school to help turn a barren courtyard into a garden space. The space is now referred to as a “well-being garden” where students relax in between classes and after school. We also host an annual Green Writing Competition for the students, which is now part of the school curriculum.

With each initiative and volunteer experience, the members of the Mytholmroyd Green Team leave feeling proud of our team's achievements!

Stuff It Challenge – Manila, Philippines Green Team

In partnership with The Circle, a chain of eco-hostels in the Philippines, the Stuff It Challenge encourages people to fill plastic bottles with non-biodegradable wastes and pack them in as tight as possible to create eco-bricks. These eco-bricks may then be used as alternatives to hollow blocks in constructing low-cost houses and schools for indigent communities

The Stuff It Challenge has been one of the most successful initiatives run by our Manila Green Team. Our Manila team aims to raise awareness on the harmful effects of using plastic on the local ecosystem and how sustainable actions, no matter how big or small, can have a positive impact on preserving the environment. By using our ingenuity and innovation, everyone can do their part to be responsible for our consumption of plastics.

Fresh Farmer’s Markets – Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA Green Team

The Ann Arbor Green Team is committed to reducing corporate and individual carbon footprints in Ann Arbor and Southeast Michigan, where we live, work and play. Our goal is to make being green as effortless as possible by bringing resources, like Farmer’s Markets, onsite for our team. This makes it easier for our coworkers to embrace local sourcing while getting the benefits of fresh produce without contributing to supply chain emissions.  

Getting drastic with plastic - Gdansk, Poland Green Team

In our office in Gdansk, Poland, our Green Team ran a campaign encouraging employees to bring a reusable container for lunch. We turned it into a competition: if you skipped the single-use plastic packaging ten times, you would get a branded Green Team lunch box. The initiative proved to be a massive success among the staff, and six months later, we convinced all caterers in our building to only serve food on reusable plates like glass or reusable Tupperware.

As we spend more time at home, we can work to strengthen our sustainable habits. While so many things are out of our control, focusing on small improvements to our lives and the environment will help us feel stronger.

Interested in learning more about our other sustainability goals? Click here to read more about Our Approach: The 17 Sustainable Development Goals.