24 March 2011: The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has launched the “Staff Guide to Greening UNESCO,” which offers UNESCO staff simple tips to incorporate environmentally-friendly behavior into their work life.

Introducing the Guide, Irina Bokova, UNESCO’s Director General, underlined that “climate change is the defining challenge of our time – threatening biodiversity, weakening ecosystems, modifying water cycles and endangering food supplies.” Developed by the Greening UNESCO Voluntary Group Missions, the publication provides quick tips on how to reduce the impact of day-to-day activities, including: commute; office heating/air conditioning; recycling; lighting; plants; meetings; coffee/lunch break; correspondence; and lifestyle. Staff are also invited to sign the “Greening UNESCO Charter,” which commits them to eight sustainable behaviors.

The Guide, which is available in French and English, is being communicated to all 5000 UNESCO staff located across 64 locations around the world. [Publication: Staff Guide to Greening UNESCO]