What does it mean to be a Green Call Center

Does any business has the right to call itself “green”? If we are really a green call center and put the environment first, then shouldn’t we just shut off all the lights and computers and let the tarsiers live in our building.   Can any business that uses power and requires people to leave their homes and burn fossil fuels to get to the office really say that it is eco-friendly?  At this level of the answer to these questions is probably, no but I like to think we are doing all we can to be  green call center and an  eco-friendly business.

 

We set up our call center business in the Philippines because we like the country and we see an opportunity to give Filipinos the same chance to make a living and support their families that people in the US have.  The economic advantages of having a call center in the Philippines are hard to deny but we also looked at the ways to set up a business here that can grow without creating an oversized carbon footprint.  We set out to create a green call center that is both client friendly and eco friendly.  We have found that it is cetainly possible to create a  contact center in a sustainable way, without damaging the environment and without needlessly burning fossil fuels.

 

As a Filipino green call center we are taking a top down and whole community approach to protecting the earth.  As an eco friendly US citizen it is often hard to deny the irony of our situation.  One one hand, people in the US use far more fossil fuels and have a bigger carbon footprint than any other society in the world.  But on the other hand, Americans are more aware about “green” living and know more about protecting the environment than many people in the developing world.

 

It is not unlike the great US paradox of obesity.  The US has  more obese people than any other nation yet  still is obsessed with diet fads and exercise. Now that there are green oil companies and green plastic garbage bag manufacturers we decided that becoming a green call center was not a hypocritical endeavor.  We have done our best to set up an community in the office where we think about what effect our business decisions have on the environment.  Are we a green call center?  Are we an eco friendly call center?  We keep trying.