Vancouver Aquarium

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Aquarium awash in conservation, thanks to innovative Green Team

Mary Frances Hill
For bchydro.com

Take a staff of 500 and nearly 1,000 volunteers and convince them to save energy, think sustainably, and reduce waste.

It sounds like a daunting task for any organization. But Heather Brekke and her "Green Team" at the Vancouver Aquarium have managed to do it, with a little organization and a lot of creativity.

Winners of the Power Smart Excellence Award for Workplace Conservation, Brekke and director of conservation and environmental affairs Angela Griffiths – right and left, respectively in the photo above – have found fun, easy ways to engage their staff in conservation in and beyond the workplace. They've had to overcome one obstacle in harnessing the attentions of young staffers and volunteers: the aquarium itself.

Imagine working among preening, lovable see otters, tanks of sharks, barracudas, a tropical sloth, and a backlit tank full of jellyfish – not to mention an intimate view of a beluga mother nursing her newborn calf.

It's distracting, to say the least: who wouldn't want to spend their free time or a lunch hour perusing the grounds? Persuading people to take time out of their workday in such an environment calls for some creativity.

Small steps, big changes

Once a year, aquarium staff are encouraged to take part in a zero waste lunch challenge. They're asked to pack their lunches in reusable containers, carry stainless steel or ceramic mugs.

And they do it: the results of the promotion make a big difference, says Brekke, the Vancouver Aquarium's environmental management systems coordinator.

"We wanted nothing going into the waste bins, so it was about getting people excited about bringing in a waste-free lunch," she says.

With not a piece of cellophane to be found, it was a week that would have been the envy of any environmentally-conscious manager.

"We wanted to encourage a cultural change," she says.

With simple participation comes reward: everyone who brought in a reusable mug got a free cup of coffee. Those who went the extra mile were eligible to win a free meal at the aquarium's cafeteria.

Experts in the art of persuasion will tell you that convenience is key when trying to influence social behaviour. The aquarium has mastered that aspect with a wide recycling and composting program for everything from bio-waste (plates and cutlery) to scraps from fish feed.

Among last year's other successful programs was an energy conservation challenge, a commuter challenge, bike to work week, and what Brekke calls "Lunch n' Learns."

Food, glorious food

In a "Lunch n' Learn", staff are treated over mealtime to a guest speaker who conveys a general message about an issue related to ecology; they also learn how that big picture relates to a program or project at the aquarium.

Just last May, employees were treated to a talk on the basics of sustainable food and a screening of the film "The Sustainable Table." With the next day came a lesson on how to find sustainable and organic foods in the area.

By the end of the week, staff and volunteers learned how to prepare an entire meal using sustainable ingredients, courtesy of the aquarium's Ocean Wise manager Mike McDermid. They took part in workshops on composting and growing organic vegetables in small balconies and patios.

"The focus is to incorporate fun into it," says Brekke. "If you had a boring lecture, not a lot of people would show up."

This year and next, the Green Team is looking to expand its scope. They're working to organize quarterly "Green Brain" sessions during which any staff member or volunteer can add their ideas on how to conserve and save energy at the workplace.

People power

It doesn't take the resources, history or high public profile of a place like the Vancouver Aquarium to achieve this kind of success. Brekke and Griffiths ask for just one hour a month from their volunteer members for a lunchtime meeting, during which the group organizes and brainstorms their projects.

"I think any time you have that team building, whether it's in a green team or any team, you're going to increase staff morale and job satisfaction. The Green Team has been a way to inspire people and keep them motivated about what they do."

In the end, these efforts are as much about reinforcing the aquarium's place in B.C. as a model of conservation as it is about inspiring workers to see the world around them with an eye to conservation, says Brekke.

"We have a lot of keen staff members, so we have to foster that enthusiasm."