30 simple actions to change the world at work and make you feel great!

2. Cataloging in Publication Data:
A catalog record for this publication is available from the National Library of Canada.
Copyright © 2009 by Inspire Enterprise. All rights reserved.
First printing January 2009.
Written by: Paul Edney
Designed by: Sara Huber
Creative team: Paul Edney, Sara Huber, Phil Solman, Debbra Mikaelsen, Martin Russocki, Bambi Edlund
Images: Paul Edney and Dreamstime Stock Photography (www.dreamstime.com)
Illustrations: Martin Russocki, Sara Huber and Steve Heynen
Special thanks to: Rachel and James Edney, Jeremy Edney, Alice Kalia, Joel Kalia, Terran Orletsky, Bernice Raabis,
Tom Atkins, Anika, Catherine, Scott, Elsa, Jessica, Ruby, Seth, Maia, Natasha and everyone else who made this book
possible. Thank you.
Printed in Canada by Hemlock Printers Ltd.
Paperback ISBN: 978-0-9811596-0-7
Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of Inspire Enterprise should be addressed to:
Inspire Enterprise
3140 The Middle Road
Nelson, BC V1L 6M3
Canada
To order books or for any other inquiries, please visit our website at www.lnspireEnterprise.com

3. work
Work is a big part of life. On average, we spend 96,360 hours of our lives at work.
The only thing we do more is sleep.
Why do we do it?
For practical reasons: it pays the bills and keeps us busy.
But beyond the practical, work fulfills other fundamental needs:
Our need to be creative
Our need to contribute
Our need to feel part of something bigger than ourselves
And when we set our minds on achieving that ‘something’,
we’ve proven, time and again, that nothing can stop us.
This is the power of the human spirit.
This book is dedicated to harnessing that power.
Each action in the book is a small gesture that creates connection:
Connection to ourselves
Connection to each other
Connection to the planet
We believe that the secret to making the world a better place lies
not in grand gestures or lofty mission statements, but in simple
shifts in our daily lives.
As the Chinese poet, Lao Tzu wrote:
Begin difficult tasks when they are easy.
Start great things when they are small.
For the difficult tasks of the world were once easy.
And the great things of the world were once small.
And a thousand mile journey, begins with one step.
The journey starts here...

4. Simple Action:
Turn off the tap while
brushing or shaving
You’d be surprised at how much water it saves.
BIG IMPACT
In fact, if 200 people were to do this daily, in a year they’d save enough
water to fill a bucket the size of the average house.
That’s one BIG bucket.

5. Simple Action:
Eat a
proper
breakfast
What did you have for
breakfast this morning?
Be honest.
We won’t even ask if you were
walking or driving while you
ate it.
BIG IMPACT
Studies show that eating a healthy breakfast increases energy, lowers
cholesterol, improves concentration, aids weight loss, keeps blood sugar
levels stable and will undoubtedly improve your office olympics performance.

6. Simple Action:
Take public transit
Advantages:
It saves money, no one cuts you off,
you can read the paper, it’s good for
the environment...
Disadvantage:
You can’t sing as loudly as you would
in your car. Unless you form a
commuter choir.
Bus Gospel anyone?
BIG IMPACT
Switching your commute to existing public transportation for a single day
can reduce your CO2 emissions by 20 pounds. That’s more than 4,800
pounds in a year (which, simply put, is the weight of one elephant).

7. Simple Action:
Car pool
What would you do with all the money
you’re not spending on gas?
Here’s an idea: for around 30 bucks you
can give a goat to a family in a develop-
ing country.
FYI, chickens are $15.
BIG IMPACT
Carpooling for a year, with 2 colleagues on an average
short commute = 6,160 pounds of CO2 saved (which, simply put, is
the weight of one really fat elephant).
Not to mention those huge savings on gas, car wear and tear, parking, etc.

8. Simple Action:
Take the initiative
At school in 2001, Alex (then age 5) heard about a
local project to save a large area of timberland near
his home from logging.
For four weekends in a row he set up a lemonade
stand and sold lemonade from sun up to sun down.
He made $134.50 and donated every penny.
BIG IMPACT
A week away from the deadline the project was $175,000 short. Things looked
hopeless. That is until Alex’s Grandma, spurred by his generosity, called up and
donated ALL the needed funds. So pick an action you’re passionate about and
take the initiative.
Sometimes the ripple you start turns into a wave.

9. Simple Action:
Don’t go to work
Not to be confused with “Don’t work”.
What we mean is, discuss the possibility of
telecommuting with your boss. Obviously
this is not going to work if you’re a bus
driver, a firefighter or an astronaut.
You get to save on commuting time, stress
and cost. Your boss gets to rent out your
parking space and cubicle.
Everyone’s a winner.
BIG IMPACT
The average worker spends 12 days a year commuting to work and
research indicates that staff who work from home actually achieve
more, even if they do it in pink fluffy slippers.

10. Simple Action:
Video conference
instead of travelling
No, you’re right, it’s just not the same.
There’s no jet-lag, no table for one, and
no aimless channel surfing until 2am.
BIG IMPACT
For every 600 airmiles you don’t collect you’ll keep the equivalent of
940 pounds of CO2 out of our atmosphere (the weight of your average
male polar bear).

11. Simple Action:
Take a 5 minute
break and do nothing
You may be surprised to know that even doctors
say doing nothing is really good for you. It reduces
anxiety, stress and depression, while increasing
self esteem and happiness.
So, “Don’t just do something, sit there.”
Doctor’s orders.
BIG IMPACT
Studies show that workers who take regular, structured breaks actually get more
done and are happier than those who keep plugging away non-stop all day.

12. Simple Action:
Use a mug
Next time you’re out walking, take a look around.
We bet you’ll see a few used cups crushed on the
sidewalk, under a park bench, or sitting half-full on
a ledge. Our culture seems to have this disposable
attitude.
Maybe it’s time we disposed of it.
BIG IMPACT
North America uses 50 million trees a year to satisfy its paper cup habit.

13. Simple Action:
Resist the urge to email
Why not pick up the phone instead?
Or if at all possible, walk over and have a face to face conversation.
It’s so much more civilized.
Send
BIG IMPACT
One study showed that it takes an average of 30 minutes for people to get
back to whatever it was that they were distracted from when responding to
email.

14. Simple Action:
Praise people
I’m amazed at how
quickly you’re getting
through this book. Well
done, you!
Did I mention that agenda
you sent through was
sheer poetry?
Rarely have I seen
such an organized
work-space...
Feel good?
Psychologists say that in order to have a satisfying
relationship we need 3 positive interactions for
every 1 negative.
Now stop dilly-dallying. Get out there and change
the world.
Please.
BIG IMPACT
We could point to lots of research about the positive effects of praising
people at work. But we felt that would take something away from the real
motivation for doing it.

15. Simple Action:
Have a local lunch
We suppose having lunch would be the first step. The second step would be to
take your full lunch break to eat it (AWAY from your desk).
So, for advanced users who have completed one and two, step three is to avoid
food that’s travelled a long way. Not only does it help the planet, it’s better for
you.
BIG IMPACT
The shorter the distance travelled, the more vitamins and antioxidants the
fruits and vegetables have. Antioxidant-rich food help prevent various nasty
diseases, boost the immune system and slow the aging process.

16. Simple Action:
Ditch
polystyrene
and
plastic
Aren’t you worth it?
BIG IMPACT
For every take-out polystyrene container NOT produced, approximately
6 pounds of CO2 is kept out of the atmosphere.

17. Simple Action:
Use both sides
The first time I tried to print on
both sides of the paper I got through
11 sheets before I mastered the machine.
It seemed like a waste at the time—not
to mention being mighty frustrating.
But within a week I’d saved 53 sheets of
paper.
This year I’ll save 2,756.
And that’s just me. By myself.
One person, in my little cubicle.
BIG IMPACT
A company of 500 employees could save approximately 1,300,000 sheets
of paper a year.
That’s 162 trees. A year. Every year.

18. Simple Action:
Go outside
Take a deep breath.
Cough, hack, splutter …
move away from the smokers.
Take another deep breath.
Feel the peace.
BIG IMPACT
Fresh air cleans your lungs. Deep breaths bring more oxygen into
your cells. More oxygen brings greater clarity to the brain, which
needs twenty percent of your body’s oxygen to function.

19. Simple Action:
Drink
fair
trade
Look deeeeeeply
into this fair trade
cup of coffee.
What do you see?
If you see a
family able to
make ends meet,
send their children
to school and feel
proud of
themselves, great.
If you see a
three-headed goat
in a tutu, you need
to get out more.
BIG IMPACT
Supported by proceeds from the sale of fair trade coffee, the ‘National
Coffee Fund’ in Colombia has built over 6,000 schools, enabling over
360,000 children to attend local primary school.

20. Simple Action:
Turn the lights off
When you leave a room, turn off the lights.
Even if you think you’re coming back any minute.
Chances are you’ll get distracted and it’ll take longer.
Like the guy who stepped out quickly to buy milk and came back 3 months later...
Sorry it took so
long, they only had
skim.
BIG IMPACT
By turning off you’re saving money. You’re saving energy.
And you’re giving a damn.

21. Simple Action:
Reduce Re-use...
Things that should be reduced: Things that should be re-used:
• energy (turn it off) • packaging (boxes, bubblewrap, etc.)
• paper (think before you print) • paper (scraps for notes)
• travel (video conference) • envelopes
Exceptions: Exceptions:
• fruit & vegetable servings • coffee grounds
• kindness • chewing gum
• consciousness • toilet paper
P.S. Chocolate is NOT a vegetable
BIG IMPACT
For everything reduced or re-used you are:
• Keeping CO2 out of the atmosphere
• Reducing the amount of stuff going into landfill
• Saving money

22. Simple Action:
… Recycle
BIG IMPACT
• Printer cartridges take over 450 years to decompose in landfill, OR they can be used to
make plastic decking lumber that will pretty much NEVER rot.
• Five large plastic soda bottles can be recycled to produce enough polyester fabric for an XL
T-shirt or one square foot of carpet.
• If the average westerner recycled all the newspapers they read each
year, they would save around five 35 foot high trees.
• Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 13 watt
compact fluorescent lightbulb for over 30 hours.

23. Simple Action:
Unplug your cell
charger
It sucks power, even when it isn’t powering your phone.
And that sucks.
BIG IMPACT
If every one of North America’s 100 million plus mobile phone
chargers were left plugged in they would consume enough electricity
to power 264,000 homes.

24. Simple Action:
Take the stairs
Everest = 29,028 feet high
1 flight of stairs = 12 feet
Did you hear that? That’s the sound of the gauntlet being thrown.
BIG IMPACT
Studies show that the risk of cardiovascular disease and death is lower
among those who are regular stair climbers.

25. Simple Action:
Shut down your computer
before you leave
Here are a few fun things you can plan to do when it’s booting up again in the
morning:
1. Make a paper airplane and sail it across the office.
2. Make two cups of coffee, one for you and one for
someone who looks like they need it (NOTE: Don’t
say “you look like you need this” when making the
delivery).
3. Sing happy birthday at the top of your lungs. It’s
bound to be somebody’s.
BIG IMPACT
By shutting down computers at night, a business with 100 computers
could save up to $1,650 a year in electricity costs and keep approximately
6.5 elephants worth of CO2 out of the atmosphere.

26. Simple Action:
Walk more
“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.”
– Nietzsche
Either there or on the toilet.
BIG IMPACT
Walking reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, lowers blood
pressure, reduces high cholesterol, reduces body fat, enhances mental
well-being, increases bone density, helps to prevent osteoporosis, helps
flexibility and co-ordination, AND you get where you wanted to go.

27. Simple Action:
Don’t take work home
“Does anybody have anything to
add to the agenda this evening?”
“Joey, you’re on minutes.”
“Katie, could you action ice
cream for dessert?”
BIG IMPACT
The average office worker could increase their family time
by 6 hours a week if they stopped taking work home with
them … that’s 300 hours in a year.

28. Simple Action:
Turn your
cell off
Being available 24/7 is nothing
to be proud of.
Being present in the moment is.
BIG IMPACT
You’ve got to admit that it feels pretty special when someone starts a
conversation with “I’m just going to switch my cell off so you can have my
full attention”.

29. Simple Action:
Volunteer
Why not start by volunteering to get a coffee for
someone who’s busier than you?
That’s how Mother Theresa got started. (Allegedly.)
And then when you get back to your desk, type
“volunteering in <<YOURCITY>>” into your
favourite search engine.
BIG IMPACT
Studies show that volunteering improves health, increases
happiness and lengthens life expectancy.
It’s amazing how much you get when you give.

30. Simple Action:
Ask someone
how they are
Meaningful conversation is a casualty of our
speed-dial, fast food, 24/7 culture.
So the next time a telemarketer calls offering you
yet another credit card: “How are you today, Mr.
Mispronouncedname?”
Lay it on them, baby. Tell them about that
persistent spasm in your left eyeball, the
questionable sushi you had for
lunch, and your aunt’s
hip replacement.
And if they’re still on the line
when you’ve had your say,
give them a chance ...
“but enough about me now,
how are you?”
BIG IMPACT
Asking gives a person the feeling that they are important to you.
This leads to improved self-esteem, which, studies show, leads to a
happier, healthier person.

31. Simple Action:
Spend some quality time
Start with yourself.
Then focus on someone you love.
Make a list of everyone who is
important to you and then go
through the list one by one.
Kids
Mom
Dad
Bro
Sis
Auntie Minnie
Geor Clooney
ge
Angelina
Cameron Diaz
BIG IMPACT
Research indicates that giving quality attention (not to mention
receiving) leads to better mental health and reduced stress.

32. Simple Action:
Say thank-you
“I’d like to thank the academy, mom
and dad, my babysitter from grade
6, and everyone who made this book
possible…”
BIG IMPACT
Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction,
vitality, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress.

33. Simple Action:
Rip up this book
Tear out these posters (carefully please).
If they’ve inspired you they are bound to inspire others.
So go crazy – find a location and then pin it, stick it, tape it etc…
BIG IMPACT
“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” – Ryunosuke Satoro

34. Now what?
1. Take Action
2. Measure
Small actions have a BIG impact. We’ll prove it to you.
Set up your own company Action Tracker at www.InspireEnterprise.com.
3. Involve
Involving colleagues is key to making change. It also makes it a lot more fun.
Ideas and initiatives available at www.InspireEnterpise.com.
Need support? Inspire Enterprise will help:
Workshops to explore and measure organizational vitality
(Are you ready for change?)
Consulting
(How to make it stick.)
Inspiring speakers
(Ra, Ra, Ra.)
Contact us: info@InspireEnterprise.com

35. The journey continues here …

36. Inspire Enterprise connects, empowers
and inspires people to change the world at work.
Looking at the world with levity, and using inspiration rather than
alarmism, our objective is to encourage you, the people who make
organizations what they are, to simply change the world at work.
At Inspire Enterprise we recognize that the issues of environmental
impact, team building, change management, and health
and wellness are all interconnected.
Organizational change is a journey, not a destination.
This book is the first step.
$19.00
ISBN 978-0-9811596-0-7