July 30, 2025

From Mindshift to Modeshift Ep 8: Workplaces as Catalysts for Sustainable Living

In our latest Mindshift to Modeshift conversation, we explored how sustainability extends far beyond our daily commutes. Venkatesh Gopal, CEO of movmi, sat down with Dagmar Timmer, Managing Director at OneEarth Living, to unpack how employers can be powerful agents of behavioral change—and how our workplaces might just be the key to a more sustainable world.

OneEarth Living developed a Sustainable Living Action Pack for Workplaces, which offers employers guidance on how to support their employees to live sustainable everyday lives. It’s a guide for organizations looking to go beyond “green operations” and start supporting the people side of climate action.

"We spend about a third of our lives working. If we want to shift how people eat, move, and connect more sustainably, the workplace has an outsized influence"

Dagmar Timmer

Dagmar Timmer OneEarth Living

Keep reading for key takeaways from the episode—or watch the full interview below. New insights drop every month!

Mindshift & Modeshift

Episode Eight: Workplaces as Catalysts for Sustainable Living

Webinar Panel

Venkatesh Gopal

CEO | movmi

Dagmar Timmer

Managing Director | OneEarth Living

The Big Picture: Sustainability Beyond Carbon

While much of the public conversation around sustainability revolves around carbon emissions, Dagmar emphasized the need to zoom out. “Truly living sustainably is about creating better lives for all of us… It’s about equity, regeneration, and well-being—not just carbon numbers.”

The guide reflects this broader view, with action areas that include transportation, food, well-being, and community-building. The goal? Normalize sustainable behaviors by making them easy, accessible, and culturally reinforced within the workplace.

Mindshift or Modeshift—Which Comes First?

This recurring theme in our series surfaced again in this episode: Does behavioral change lead to transportation change, or vice versa?

Dagmar’s take: it’s not either/or—it’s both. “Mindshift is about understanding personal motivations—like health, cost savings, or climate impact. Modeshift happens when infrastructure and support systems make those new choices viable.”

She highlighted how different people are motivated in different ways. For instance, BC residents often cite “healthy life and planet” as core values—meaning a bike-to-work program may resonate more if it’s pitched as a wellness initiative than a carbon reduction strategy.

The Power of Incentives and Demonstrations

OneEarth Living’s guide recommends combining two powerful tools: incentives and demonstrations.

Incentives include subsidized transit passes, free bike tune-ups, flexible scheduling, or bonuses equivalent to parking benefits.
Demonstrations normalize behaviors: a senior leader taking the bus, hosting plant-rich potlucks, or gifting experiences instead of stuff.
“Incentives spark action. Demonstrations change expectations. Together, they shift culture.”

“Incentives spark action. Demonstrations change expectations. Together, they shift culture.”

A standout example? The City of Vancouver. By charging market rates for parking and redirecting those funds into transit rebates and cycling support, they cut solo car commuting from 46% in 2019 to just 21% by 2025.

Starting the Journey: How Workplaces Can Lead

The guide is built for action. Whether you’re a retail store or a remote tech team, it offers hundreds of ideas—grouped into seven action packs—that range from “quick wins” to “bold shifts.”

“Most workplaces are already doing better than they think,” said Dagmar. “The key is to identify what’s working and build from there.”

Some quick wins include:

Providing secure bike parking and showers
Offering free or discounted transit passes
Creating a “library of things” for employees
Allowing flexible start times to avoid peak travel
Hosting sustainability-focused events (like clothing swaps or low-carbon lunch days)

The guide even encourages organizations to examine their celebration culture—rethinking gifts and milestones to model low-impact alternatives.

Small vs. Large Organizations: Different Strengths

Smaller workplaces may have more flexibility and personal engagement. For example, a startup could easily organize an informal carpool system or subsidize gear for rainy commutes.

Larger companies have scale: broader subsidy programs, investments in infrastructure, and a bigger voice to advocate for regional transit improvements. “The goal is the same,” Dagmar noted. “Create the conditions that support sustainable habits—whatever your size.”

A Vision of the Future: Five Years from Now

We closed the session with a hopeful look ahead. What if a critical mass of companies embraced this guide?

“We’d see fewer traffic jams and more people walking or biking. Transit passes would be standard benefits. Parking lots could become green spaces. And instead of complaining about traffic, people might be chatting around the water cooler about their peaceful morning walk.”

OneEarth Living’s workplace action pack is a bold invitation to rethink sustainability from the inside out—beginning with where many of us spend most of our waking hours: work. “We already have the tools. It’s just about taking small, intentional steps—and using our workplaces to model the change we want to see.”

Download the full guide in English or French at OneEarthLiving.org/resources.

Stay tuned for the next edition of the “Mindshift to Modeshift” webinar series, where we will continue to explore innovative ways to transform transportation habits and create more sustainable cities.