Erik Jason Roque Estrada

Brown bag sessions, often referred to as "lunch and learn" meetings, are informal gatherings where employees bring their own meals, typically in reusable containers or brown paper bags, to discuss various topics in a relaxed environment. These sessions are cost-effective, encourage open dialogue, and provide a platform for knowledge sharing and team bonding. When focused on sustainable practices, brown bag sessions can inspire employees to adopt environmentally conscious behaviors, align organizational goals with sustainability, and contribute to a greener future. This article explores how brown bag sessions can be leveraged to promote sustainable practices in the workplace, offering practical strategies and real-world examples.The Role of Brown Bag SessionsBrown bag sessions come in various forms, including seminars with guest speakers, small group discussions, hybrid formats combining presentations and interaction, and social gatherings for team bonding. Their informal nature makes them ideal for engaging employees on topics like sustainability without the rigidity of formal meetings. By hosting these sessions during lunch hours, organizations can maximize participation while fostering a culture of learning and collaboration.Benefits of Brown Bag Sessions for SustainabilityEducation and Awareness: Sessions can educate employees on critical sustainability topics, such as reducing single-use plastics, energy conservation, or sustainable procurement. For instance, discussing the environmental impact of plastic waste can encourage employees to switch to reusable alternatives like cloth bags or metal containers.Idea Sharing: These sessions provide a platform for employees to share practical ideas, such as composting programs or carpooling initiatives, fostering a sense of ownership in sustainability efforts.Behavioral Change: By highlighting actionable steps, like using eco-friendly packaging or reducing energy consumption, brown bag sessions can drive long-term changes in employee behavior.Alignment with Goals: Sessions can align workplace practices with broader sustainability goals, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).Strategies for Integrating Sustainability into Brown Bag SessionsTo maximize impact, organizations can adopt the following strategies when designing brown bag sessions focused on sustainable practices:1. Choose Relevant TopicsSelect topics that resonate with employees and align with organizational goals. Examples include:Reducing Single-Use Plastics: Discuss alternatives like brown paper bags, reusable containers, or biodegradable packaging.Energy Efficiency: Share tips on reducing energy use in the office, such as turning off lights and using energy-efficient devices.Sustainable Commuting: Explore carpooling, biking, or public transportation options to reduce carbon footprints.Waste Management: Introduce recycling or composting programs and explain their environmental benefits.2. Invite Experts or Guest SpeakersInvite sustainability experts, environmentalists, or local organizations to lead sessions. For example, a guest speaker from a local recycling initiative could explain how proper waste sorting reduces landfill contributions. These experts can provide credible insights and inspire action.3. Encourage Interactive FormatsUse small group discussions or workshops to engage participants. For instance, a session could involve a hands-on activity where employees create their own reusable tote bags or learn to make eco-friendly cleaning products. Interactive formats make learning memorable and actionable.4. Promote Eco-Friendly Practices During SessionsLead by example by incorporating sustainable practices into the sessions themselves:Encourage Reusable Containers: Ask participants to bring meals in reusable containers instead of disposable packaging.Go Paperless: Share resources digitally via email or a shared drive instead of printing handouts.Use Sustainable Materials: If materials are needed, opt for recycled paper or biodegradable items, like brown paper bags for activities.5. Tie to Organizational InitiativesConnect the session content to existing sustainability initiatives within the organization. For example, if the company has a "zero-waste" goal, a brown bag session could focus on strategies to achieve it, such as reducing food waste or implementing a recycling program.Real-World ExamplesSeveral organizations have successfully used brown bag sessions to promote sustainability:Xavier University: The university hosted a brown bag session to strengthen its "No to Plastics" initiative. The session discussed policies to reduce single-use plastics on campus, aligning with SDG 12. Employees and students shared ideas for using biodegradable alternatives, such as brown paper bags and reusable water bottles.Corporate Sustainability Programs: Companies like Google and Patagonia use brown bag sessions to educate employees on their sustainability goals, such as achieving carbon neutrality or reducing water usage. These sessions often include employee-led discussions to brainstorm innovative solutions.Community Organizations: Nonprofits like the Environmental Defense Fund host brown bag sessions to engage staff in discussions about renewable energy or sustainable agriculture, encouraging volunteers to adopt eco-friendly practices in their daily lives.Measuring ImpactTo ensure brown bag sessions drive meaningful change, organizations can:Survey Participants: Collect feedback to gauge interest and identify topics for future sessions.Track Behavioral Changes: Monitor metrics like reduced plastic use or increased recycling rates in the workplace.Set Goals: Establish measurable sustainability goals, such as reducing office waste by 20% within six months, and use sessions to track progress.ConclusionBrown bag sessions offer a unique opportunity to foster sustainable practices in the workplace. By combining education, interaction, and actionable strategies, these informal gatherings can inspire employees to embrace environmentally conscious behaviors and contribute to organizational sustainability goals. Whether discussing reusable packaging, energy efficiency, or waste reduction, brown bag sessions can transform workplaces into hubs of sustainability, one lunch at a time.

When one travels to Singapore, all we can imagine is the grandeur of treading into the beauty of the country’s urban landscape, efficient transportation system, and the warm culture that is truly Asian. And, who will ever get lost in track when not dropping by the famous Merlion? While many travel aficionados will just put on their shoes and explore SG’s infrastructure wilderness, I had a different eye on things. For me, Singapore is a hub for lifelong education and when I set my foot right in the Changi International Airport, I knew so well that the opportunity to learn things is just a heartbeat away. Well, it is actually my frustration to earn a degree abroad so to compensate such, I committed to myself that whenever I go abroad, I will attend seminars or workshops being offered there. At least, I got a continuing education edge and I always know it will always be worth the experience. As I browse through EventBrite, I found a scheduled workshop called the Digital Collage. At first, I thought it was an art or a photography class but when I did some background investigation, I realized that it was a climate education workshop but I got curious as to why the activity had such a title. Why use a collage? Maybe, I got stuck on the fact that workshops or seminars are just classroom-type sessions wherein all we have to do is sit tight and listen then afterwards, we learn by means of the audio-visual pedagogy. The goal of this workshop was to understand, as a team and in a fun way, the impact of digital technologies on the environment using 42 cards and so to come up with a collage afterwards. During this workshop in Viseo Asia Office, we had an introductory presentation from Mr. Thibaut and his team who had been based in Singapore facilitating climate education activities. The team discussed what the workshop was basically all about. Digital Collage was actually a spin-off of Climate Fresk, also a card activity about the effects of climate change. We were then divided into 2 groups of seven individuals each. Mr. Thibaut drew the first set of cards and we were given time to identify and draw links between the cards given to us. The first set of cards were all about the devices we use every day to help us in our jobs and personal activities such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, etc. After deconstructing the ideas behind the cards, we illustrated their interpretation, learn key messages, then choose a title. This phase helped us to embrace the content and creates a team spirit. I was the one who opted to use “The Digital Dilemma.” Each team presented the collage end-product, their respective titles, key messages and decoration to the others and the facilitator provides feedback and a recap of the key messages. The participants discover the action cards, and discuss amongst themselves the ones that are most relevant to retain. The workshop concluded with the concept of the rebound effect. This is the vivid depiction of the activity all along. Reflections from the WorkshopWhile the whole duration of the workshop became a fun-filled learning experience, the information it revealed was actually disturbing and alarming at the same time. Yes, admittingly, we live now in the 4th Industrial Revolution. So here are my takeaways:The dangers of handy tech to physical and mental well-being We live now in the age where streams of emails or text messages, incessant online shopping, and infinite scrolling in social media. While a lot of people are now relying on tech for their living, the mental well-being risk level of its patrons have increased rapidly. Too much information often leads to anxiety and depression and these are not good signs if we are talking about establishing human’s healthy connections with the digital community. Potential global tensions Today's smartphone, much smaller and thinner, contains more than 50 metals: a condition to have all the features of our equipment! Indium and tin are needed to manufacture our screens to transform the touch of our index finger into a "click". Indeed, these so-called capacitive screens are coated with a film that conducts electricity while being transparent and it is an indium-tin oxide that allows this technological feat. As for LEDs, they contain a compound of gallium (extracted from aluminum ore) and at least one other atom, which will determine the "basic" color of the LED. Thus, arsenic combined with phosphorus will give an orange-red light, while with nitrogen or indium, the LED appears blue. But the designers of LEDs have imagined being able to make more beautiful and varied colors, yellow, white, red, blue or green. Then are used different cocktails of rare earths with mysterious names: yttrium garnet and aluminum, cerium, yttrium, europium or terbium. We can also find lanthanum and gadolinium. The methods of extraction and separation of these metals require complex and highly polluting processes: discharge of acids, bases, solvents, heavy metals or radioactive waste. In addition, these processes require large quantities of water, thus prolonging the environmental agony. So, what’s the crux of the matter? Once these metals and other mineral resources go scarce, nations may turn on each other and may give rise to geopolitical conflicts and war can be imminent in the long run. Waste management One thing that I realized during the workshop is that the Philippines currently has no concrete policy on disposing digital devices. Yes, there appears to be an effort from concerned the national government in an oversight manner among government offices, however, there seems to be no control yet over the devices of personal users. Say, for instance, an individual bought a laptop and eventually the equipment reached its end of life and is no longer functional. So how is he or she going to do about it? Well, disposal may be a piece of cake but if the former is not an immediate option, the device will just be kept in the dust waiting for the hazard to emerge on its own. There came to my mind an idea to conceptualize a legislative agenda, in my own personal terminology, a device registration act. It is the same idea of vehicle registration, it’s just that, the users of smartphones and laptops are required to register their devices upon purchase and will eventually be obliged to observe proper maintenance, recycling, and disposal of such. The nitty gritty of the idea may be far-fetched at this moment but if other policies can provide a framework for it then the initiative will never be far from a daydream. The Rebound Effect Solutions to reduce our environmental impacts can be based on two dimensions: the technological dimension in the approaches to improving efficiency which makes uses more economical in resources and less emissive in pollution, without calling them into question. It is a question of "doing the same thing, or even more, with less", i.e. reducing the "unit" consumption of our uses the dimension of uses in the sobriety approaches in which it is a question of "doing less with less."For example, improving the fuel economy of a car is part of the first dimension, while reducing its annual mileage is part of the second. The rebound effect cancels out some or all of the environmental benefits obtained on one dimension because of "secondary" effects on the other dimension: improving the fuel efficiency of a vehicle may lead to an "intensification" of its use (e.g. increase in annual mileage, average speed, etc.).Examples of the rebound effect in the digital sector are numerous: since Eniac (the first all-electronic computer) miniaturization has made possible the explosion in the number of electronic objects (personal computers, smartphones, connected objects, etc.), improvements in the energy efficiency of transmission networks combined with improvements in data rates and storage capacities have enabled the explosion in data traffic, etc. While technology is an empowering mechanism that provides quality outputs most of the time, responsibility towards its use must always be on the top of mind of its patrons or users. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is inevitable with its minions in the form of Internet of Things, Cloud Tech, Big Data, and Analytics coming into play. The future is bright so they say but advancements should not ever cloud the threats in the environmental, psychosocial, and existential aspects of our society. Digitalization is supposed to make life easy and comfortable but if it will be at the expense of greater damage, it should not be countenanced. The Digital Collage Workshop is just a tool designed to view things from a more realistic perspective. It is just unfortunate that the Philippines do not have such pedagogical methodology yet but if given the opportunity, the advocacy of the workshop can be a huge game changer in the climate education circles.

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Erik Jason Roque Estrada

Brown Bag Sessions: Fostering Sustainable Practices in the Workplace

Digital dilemma: The digital collage experience