No longer the domain of tree huggers and hippies, caring for the environment is racing up the business agenda. And it’s an issue that can offer PAs some career kudos.

While researching their new “green” business courses, Reed Learning realised that PAs are instrumental in helping companies become environmentally friendly. They concluded that the green agenda can be an excellent springboard for PAs’ professional development. As a result, Reed has launched the Green PA & Office Manager course.

Carolyn Smith believes the “green shift” is a good fit for PAs. For 15 years she has worked at the Investment Management Association, first as PA to the chief executive and now as HR and office manager. “Taking responsibility for the green agenda is a great stepping-stone for PAs to more exposure in an organisation.”

As a PA, Carolyn introduced recycling several years ago, and has been driving green issues. “We use five times less paper now, recycle actively, toner cartridges are refilled, documents are sent electronically, and I’ve installed motion-sensor lighting in the offices.

“PAs are the do-ers in the organisation,” she says. “If they seize the initiative, it will be a big tick in their box.” This was the experience of two executive assistants within Reed. When the chairman James Reed decided the group would become carbon neutral in 2005, the assistants drove the agenda forward.

Ian Bryce, then assistant to the managing director of Reed Employment, ran the project, calculating the whole group’s carbon footprint. “I liaised with The Carbon Neutral Company and with Reed businesses to audit our commuting, energy waste, business travel, etc. It’s a high-profile issue, so leading that project raises your profile,” he says. “I gained project management and management reporting skills, plus a wider environmental awareness.”

Louise Ogle was EA to the managing director of Reed Learning, and liaised with Ian to gather data from her company. Now marketing manager, she believes that running such a project boosted her career. “It positioned me as someone proactive, giving me exposure to senior teams,” she says. “My diplomacy and time management skills improved, too.”

Reed’s two-day Green PA & Office Manager course launches in October www.reedlearning.co.uk/green

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