Putte, in Belgium, is one of the pilot municipalities that tests and improves the developed Green Team methods.
Written by Tirza Pulleman
Sanne, responsible for the project and environmental officer, shares: “We have joined the Green Team project because our organisation would greatly benefit from better cross-departmental cooperation. We try our best, but involving other teams in a timely and permanent manner still happens too little or ad hoc. Even though a better cooperation would actually lead to efficiency gains and better end products.”
Happy dance
The Municipality of Putte has been looking for a practical project-based working method for a while. So when the call for joining the Green Team project crossed their path, they jumped on the chance. “When we finally received the confirmation that the province of Antwerp chose us as their pilot municipality, I did a little happy dance. What an honour! This is our first EU-project, so I've had to really convince our colleagues. But no one could deny the added benefits for our organisation, so now we are a proud partner.”
Good guidance
Since then, the project has been running for a year and several workshops have already taken place in Putte. “For us it was immediately fruitful to sit around the table with colleagues from different teams. Before the project this happened too sporadically, so it is good that we now have a concrete occasion: the project and the guidance from the provincie of Antwerp and TU Dortmund University.”
A Green Team workshop in Putte
And even though still a lot needs to be done in the upcoming 2,5 years, their participation is already paying off. “Our colleagues are already contacting each other more, include departments in their projects and share advice. The seeds for our very own Green Team are sprouting!”