Growth of the Green Team
The latest incarnation of Syska Hennessy’s Green Team, an employee resource group, is less than a decade old, but it already has racked up an impressive track record of accomplishments. So at the end of 2024, when the team’s leader, Ida Wycliff, retired, team members were eager to continue the momentum.
First, they had to appoint new leadership. Lauren Wesson, the senior marketing manager for the West Coast, took over Ida’s former role. Justin Di Palo, co-lead of Syska’s national sustainability practice; and Wil Estrella, senior associate, who helps run facilities across all offices, serve as co-team captains. Rounding out the leadership team are Michelle Galindez; director of marketing and communications; and Louis Curatolo, chief administrative officer and head of facilities.
The next step was to develop a comprehensive business plan that set ambitious objectives while drawing on past traditions. To learn more about these traditions, Connections checked in with Carlota McCormack, administrative coordinator in Syska’s D.C. office, who joined the Green Team back in 2017 and has been an active member ever since.
According to Carlota, the Green Team grew out of several local office initiatives taking place independently of one another, such as switching from plastic utensils and paper plates and cups to silverware and washable dishware, reducing/eliminating purchases of plastic water bottles, automatically setting everyone’s printer setting to print double-sided, and turning off lights and desk equipment when leaving a room at the end of the day. “Eventually we decided to make it a more official firmwide initiative to have a Green Team in every office, and together we planned several activities during Earth Week,” she recalls. In the years that followed, the team would determine a yearly theme, come up with new ideas, and implement them across offices.
“Eventually we decided to make it a firmwide initiative to have a Green Team in every office, and together we planned several activities during Earth Week,” she recalls. In the years that followed, the Team would determine a yearly theme, come up with new ideas, and implement them across offices."
The team continues to ramp up activities, and the business plan for 2025 is highly detailed. Although more than half of the year remains, the team has already achieved many of the goals outlined in the plan. For example, it has succeeded in bringing two people from nearly every Syska office on board as members, including colleagues in our Dubai office. These roles require a voluntary time commitment: Members represent their offices on monthly Green Team calls, write and post articles related to sustainability on Syska’s intranet site, and help coordinate activities throughout the year – not just during Earth Week.
Examples of year-round activities include quarterly TED Talks with breakout sessions and monthly product testing. If you visit any Syska office, you’ll see a display featuring selected sustainability products, from laundry sheets to biodegradable kitchen sponges to charcoal dental floss, that the Green Team has tested. Through the displays, employees can learn about the earth-friendly benefits of the products and how to buy them, and if they’re lucky, they’ll win these products in a monthly raffle. Lauren reports that there is approximately one winner for every 10 employees.
On a recent Take a Child to Work Day, the kids went on a virtual field trip to a recycling center and learned what happens to your garbage, recycling, and compost after the bins are picked up from the curb. Then, to test their knowledge, they played a game of “what item goes in what bin.” For a hands-on activity, the kids made and decorated beeswax candles, tasted real honeycomb, and learned about the importance of bees. “It’s never too early to start learning about the benefits of a sustainable lifestyle and how to recycle,” Lauren observes.
And what about Earth Week? This year employees of every office had the opportunity to decorate dryer balls. The activity was fun and educational, but for each person who participated, the Green Team donated a dollar for a tree to be planted through Plant with a Purpose. 114 people across Syska participated.
The members also organize individual office events. Some of our offices have arranged local walks in their community, with garbage bags in hand, to do trash pick-up along the paths. One of Carlota’s favorite activities is a nature walk with her colleagues. “It’s great to go out into the community and see what’s happening in nearby plants and gardens and seeing the role that the community is playing in their evolution,” she says.
Another major goal, which is nearly complete, is the finalization of Syska’s sustainability guidelines. Justin explains that the guidelines cover site selection for offices, certification processes for new offices, operational processes, material sourcing, and much more. As he notes, many offices have their own ad-hoc guidelines, but until now there has been no company-wide standard. He concludes: “We’re excited about the impact this is going to make.”
“It’s great to go out into the community and see what’s happening in nearby plants and gardens and seeing the role that the community is playing in their evolution.”
The Green Team also contributes to the development of Syska’s annual corporate sustainability report, which the sustainability practice oversees. It’s a huge undertaking: The report includes extensive data on Syska’s own use of utilities across offices, purchasing choices, and volunteering, and it also presents data on the impact of Syska’s project work through energy modeling. “We’ve been publishing it for four years now, and we’re all pretty happy with it,” Justin says. Each of these achievements is significant, but what makes the Green Team most proud is the overall awareness of sustainability that the Green Team is inspiring. In Justin’s view, “It’s arming people with knowledge that they can take home, like which products are best for the environment.”
Lauren also emphasizes the wellness factor. Through the Green Team’s educational programs, their colleagues learn how to make themselves healthier and happier. She points out that “sustainability efforts can enhance wellness both in the workplace and at home by fostering healthier environments and encouraging mindful habits. In the office, improvements like cleaner air, natural light, non-toxic materials, and active design can reduce stress, improve mood, and lead to fewer sick days.”
She continues: “Our educational programs help promote sustainable practices—such as reducing waste, conserving energy, and choosing healthier products. These often carry over into employees’ personal lives, supporting better physical and mental health at home as well. Together, these efforts create a positive ripple effect, boosting well-being, productivity, and overall quality of life.”
It's all very impressive – and replicable. If you want to try something similar at your company, the Green Team members have some advice for you. “You need to have a leader; someone who’s willing to take the helm,” says Carlota. “And you should open a conversation with colleagues in other offices to see what they’re doing with sustainability and environmental management. That will generate ideas.”
Lauren adds that it’s important to have support from top executives, both from a financial perspective and from a collaboration perspective. Without such support, it’s hard to move things along across offices.
She observes, however, that not everything has to cost money. There are some events, like the educational TED Talks, regift swap parties, urban nature walks, and volunteering opportunities in your local community, that are free.
Justin suggests taking inventory of where you are. “Lauren put together a survey that was completed by each office to level-set,” he says. “If you know what the benchmark and baselines are, you can use them to create goals and establish standards.”
Carlota recommends tie-ins to Earth Week, World Water Day, World Bee Day, and other environmentally oriented days. “They’re useful tools to work around,” she says.
No matter what approach you take, well organized activities are likely to please all participants. As Carlota remarks, “It’s one of the most enjoyable things that we do at Syska.”
Would you like more advice on setting up a similar corporate program? Contact Lauren at lwesson@syska.com.
And if you’d like to learn more about sustainability in building design, contact Justin at jdipalo@syska.com. They’d love to hear from you.