Get Recognized (and Conference Tickets) for Your Impact at Work

Jeslin Jacob just wanted to clean up her company's discarded waste – and ended up an award−winning changemaker in the process. Will you be the next Impact at Work Award winner? This year’s award comes with a pair of complementary tickets to the 2012 Net Impact Conference this fall.

Jeslin successfully diverted more than 80,000 lbs. of fiberglass waste from the landfill by finding a way to recycle what once was waste cluttering her company’s parking lot into new, usable material. In doing so, she saved CertainTeed an estimated $50,000 a year. Net Impact recognized Jeslin as a finalist for the Force for Change Award two years ago for the work she did to align measurable business goals with such a significant environmental impact.

First created to recognize the efforts of students and professionals making environmental and social strides, we’ve overhauled and renamed the award to focus exclusively on those hard-working professionals who are changing the world from inside their workplace – so welcome to the 2012 Impact at Work Award.

More Than Just a Pat on the Back

The Impact at Work Award is specifically designed to recognize the folks who roll up their sleeves and find new and creative ways to align their company’s business goals with real-world social and environmental impact. These aren’t your typical CEOs and celebrities – they’re people like Darren McGann, who won last year’s Force for Change Award by creating a green travel program for employer KPMG.

Darren’s project was “a good example of what an individual within an organization can do to make change,” he says. “It didn’t require any capital cost, didn’t require any money to implement and it was a successful example of how you can modify business processes to both quantify and modify employee behaviors – in this case, travel patterns.”

Darren’s work on the program was impressive enough for avoiding approximately 932 metric tons of CO2, but it also impressed polar explorer Robert Swan, who invited Darren to lead his environmental organization’s education program…in Antarctica. Now, we’re not saying that you’ll net a free trip to Antarctica by applying for the Impact at Work Award, but you could win a pair of complementary tickets to the 2012 Net Impact Conference. Just as inspiring, not nearly as cold.

Plus, what employer wouldn’t throw its support behind an award-winning program that serves its bottom line as well as it serves people or planet?

It’s Never Too Late to Make Your Impact

We’re accepting entries for the 2012 Impact at Work Award through August 17th, which means it’s not too late to pull the trigger on that idea you’ve been mulling over. We’re looking for projects large and small – if it’s made a demonstrable impact, it’s eligible.

So download the Impact at Work Toolkit (PDF) to get your project started, rally the troops, and apply today!