Abstract
This chapter explores the role of employees' green behaviour in public sector organisations in Ghana. The enactment of the Renewable Energy Technologies Act by Ghana's legislative body in 2012 has drawn considerable attention to the essence of embarking on a sustainable energy policy agenda. Public sector employees have been tasked by the government to be prudent in conserving energy in all its organisations. A qualitative research approach was adopted. A semi-structured interview was employed to examine how employees' routine activities considered green behaviour in the performance of their tasks at the workplace. Purposeful sampling was adopted in choosing 16 employees within selected public sector organisations. The data analysis revealed two seminal themes, which resulted in three key conclusions. Organisational policies such as replacing old office equipment with new energy-saving equipment to conserve energy are essential. Second, annual training on employee green behaviour has a long-term impact on creating environmentally conscious employees.
TopBackground Of The Study
The primary cause of environmental abuse has been influenced by economic thinking and activity in the form of rapid industrialisation. Industrialisation has often resulted in deforestation and wanton destruction of the natural environment (Barnett, 2001; Bonan, 2008) and hence, there is the need to move towards sustainability with a paradigm shift embodying scientific, technological, and behavioural changes (Gladwin, Kennelly & Krause, 1995).
Business activities in the 21st century globalised and competitive environment is marked by an increasing emphasis on the preservation and sustainability of the natural environment to make our planet safe both for the present and posterity (Fields & Atiku, 2017; Chen & Chai, 2010). Organisational environmental sustainability comes in the form of organisations operating in a manner that meets the needs of present employees, decision-makers, and other stakeholders without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Mesmer-Magnus, Viswesvaran, & Wiernik, 2012; Nordlund, & Garville, 2002). In our 21st-century business world, therefore, individuals and organisations are recognising the severity of the environmental challenges and calling for creating a sustainable way of operating within our environment (Fields & Atiku, 2017; O’Donohue & Torugsa, 2015).
Green behaviour has drawn considerable attention to the need to promote the environment for socio-economic prosperity and minimize the crisis in climate change. Many scholars and practitioners have introduced several proposals, policy initiatives, and recommendations on ways to stem the tide of environmental degradation in both the environmental and economic fields of studies (Gilbert, 2010; Unsworth, Dmitrieva & Adriasola, 2013). Policy proposals such as climate tax and particular attention to the conservation of rainforests in African countries have been introduced in several European and African countries to minimise the impact of environmental degradation (Gilbert, 2010).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Public Sector Organisation: Government operated organisations which often provides services that are vital to the everyday needs of citizens.
Employee Green Behaviour: Deliberate attitude to applying energy preserving approach to routine activities at the workplace.
Sustainability: Prevention of the running down of the natural resources primarily to help ensure ecological balance.
Renewable Energy: Is a natural resource that grow to restore the areas diminished by continuous usage and consumption, either through natural reproduction or other recurring processes in a finite amount of time in a human time scale.
Environmentally Friendly: The conscious attitude to preserve energy and harnessing green energy resources.