How to… have a greener away day

At home you recycle, conserve water and use energy efficient light bulbs, but for many people holidays offer a chance to get away from their usual green habits as well as the daily grind. The market for eco-holidays may be growing fast, but it remains relatively small and most people have little idea of the green credentials of their holiday accommodation.

With corporate away days a common occurrence for many firms, businesses face similar a scenario when planning an away day – the office may be making green strides, but once employees set off for a day or two of strategy development and team building, green intentions often become a significantly lighter shade.

Most likely this is not intentional, sustainability factors just were not part of the planning process, with budget, convenience and suitable facilities more likely to be the planner's priorities.

Many companies don't have a corporate policy on away days, and the planning and implementing of these getaways is up to the discretion of managers. Even green giants Marks and Spencer do not micromanage away days to ensure they live up to the company’s environmental standards. “We do not have a corporate policy on away days,” a representative said. “Each department decides what is appropriate, it is left to their discretion."

But for those firms that do decide to make environmental responsibility a component of their break from the office, there are some excellent options now available. Not only are there more energy efficient facilities, but also destinations that can help educate employees about sustainability. With any luck you can return back to work with a team that not only understands your new business strategy, but also has a greater appreciation for reducing the company's carbon footprint.

When planning a greener away day, businesses should carefully consider factors such as the public transport links, waste management, energy efficiency, and water conservation practices of the facility. As with any green event it is vital to ask lots of questions to get a better feel for the ethos of the place – will the food served be made from organic, locally sourced ingredients? Does the facility use eco-friendly cleaning products? Are there any workshops, talks or activities available to staff to help inspire greater environmentally-friendly behaviour?

If you organise away days for your team, or are keen to make a suggestion to those who do, here are a few options in different parts of the country for away days that might be good for staff morale, and the planet.

The Magdalen Project

The Magdalen Project is an organic farm and education centre owned by the Wessex Foundation, an educational charity that aims to promote a deeper understanding of sustainable development and a greater appreciation of natural and rural heritage. Tucked away on the Dorset-Somerset border, the sprawling property comprises wooded valleys, rivers, vegetable gardens, barnyard animals and wildlife galore.

There is much here to turn visitors on to the benefits of green living. Energy efficient lightbulbs are found throughout the facilities, the facility gets power from photo-voltaic panels with any additional juice coming from a green energy supplier. Waste, contends the project, is "a failure of the imagination" – they make use of what many toss away. The eco-campsite has composting toilets; they recycle practically everything, and compost organic waste.

To help balance out carbon emissions from traveling to the farm, the project runs a voluntary carbon tax called Fumes to Forest, with all donated funds received going towards the planting of woodland locally.

But you didn’t just drag your team out here for the natural goodness, there's team building to be done. No groaning at the back please.

Magdalen offers a series of mentally and physically challenging training courses. Professional facilitators make use of the varied resources of the property to introduce new styles of working and focusing on specific issues relevant to your office. And possibly best of all, those attending away days here dine on delicious food grown on the farm.

Red Rose Forest

Red Rose Forest, Greater Manchester's Community Forest, is a partnership of the Countryside Agency, The Forestry Commission and six local authorities. The initiative is helping create new areas of woodland, improving green spaces and encouraging people to get out and visit them.

The partnership's "Green Corporate Days" offer businesses the opportunity to contribute towards the development and maintenance of these green spaces. Bespoke team building events are arranged to enhance staff morale and development through practical environmental tasks.

Over the course of a day your team will get down and dirty together, not in a way that elicits office gossip, but by making a significant improvement to a woodland area or green space with an array of benefits to both wildlife and local communities.

Participants need to bring their own lunches, so how green the grub is comes down to you.

Centre for Alternative Technology

A satisfying team outing in Snowdonia – without the threat of a steep climb or falling rocks – can be had at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), a renowned eco-centre, featuring interactive displays and practical examples of sustainable living, renewable energy and organic gardening.

CAT offers what many green managers hope their staff are willing to embrace: practical solutions to help lessen their impact on the environment. The site includes interactive displays that demonstrate the power of wind, water and sun and has working examples of environmentally responsible buildings, energy conservation, organic growing and waste management.

The centre is experienced at entertaining and educating groups, and can help you arrange an away day experience for your team. The residential education facilities here include two Eco Cabins, each providing hostel-style accommodation for up to 18 people and a bespoke selection of specialist lectures, workshops and activities is offered.

The Taste of Wales accredited wholefood restaurant offers catering options for your event using local, organic and Fair Trade produce.

In an effort to encourage visitors to use sustainable transport the centre offers half price admission on production of a valid train ticket to the nearby station, and if you arrive from the station by foot, bike or public transport you will receive £1 off the normal entry price.

Novelty value

It is always easy for people to mock corporate away days, but they remain a regular feature of the business landscape and as such, offering employees something different from the same old flip charts and raft-building ice-breaking exercises provides the perfect opportunity to reinvigorate the team building formula.

Taking the time to plan a greener away day can help achieve this and with survey after survey showing that staff increasingly value environmental responsibility in an employer they are likely to appreciate time out of the office that is demonstrably green. Encouraging employees to care more about environmental issues could save the business money as well as reduce its environmental impact.