The Green Handprint at Work: How to Be an Employee Activist for Sustainability

by Barbara Kump, Babette Julia Brinkmann

Overview

Are you ready to turn your passion for sustainability into action in your workplace? Whether you're in tech, production, HR or logistics, this book shows you how to become an employee activist and drive environmental change from within, without waiting for management’s green light.

Grounded in real stories and research, it offers hands-on tools to build alliances, navigate power dynamics, choose the right issues, get things moving, persuade decision-makers, challenge greenwashing and apply pressure when needed.

You don’t need a formal role to make a difference. You need a strategy – and the courage to act. This book will help you find both.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529244212
Publisher:	Bristol University Press
Publication date:	02/01/2026
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208

About the Author

Barbara Kump is Associate Professor of Business and Sustainability at the University of Twente. For over 15 years, she has researched organisational change toward environmental sustainability, with a focus on how change can be initiated from within. She regularly publishes in scientific journals and speaks at international conferences. Alongside her academic work, she has collaborated with a wide range of organisations, including Rohrdorfer Gruppe, Zurich Insurance Group, British Telecom, the Neurological Clinic Bad Neustadt, and many small businesses to improve their capacity for change. She has designed two programmes for sustainable leadership and coaches employees on how to initiate change towards sustainability in their own companies. She lives and works in Enschede.

Babette Julia Brinkmann is Professor of Organisational and Group Psychology at Cologne University of Applied Sciences. She researches and teaches sustainable and social transitions in organisations and beyond, with a focus on communication and cooperation in divided settings. She has advised international companies such as Allianz, Audi, Daiichi Sankyo, Deutsche Lufthansa, Deutsche Telekom, Infineon, Saint-Gobain, Siemens, Unicredit Bank, as well as NGO’s and SMEs. She served on the scientific advisory board of Germany’s first National Citizens’ Assembly. She regularly publishes in practice-oriented journals, co-authored a book on self-organised teams, and is a frequent keynote speaker. She lives and works in Munich and Paris.

Babette Brinkmann is Professor of Organisational and Group Psychology at Cologne University of Applied Sciences. She researches and teaches sustainable and social transitions in organisations and beyond, with a focus on communication and cooperation in divided settings. She has advised international companies such as Allianz, Audi, Daiichi Sankyo, Deutsche Lufthansa, Deutsche Telekom, Infineon, Saint-Gobain, Siemens, Unicredit Bank, as well as NGO’s and SMEs. She served on the scientific advisory board of Germany’s first National Citizens’ Assembly. She regularly publishes in practice-oriented journals, co-authored a book on self-organised teams, and is a frequent keynote speaker. She lives and works in Munich and Paris.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I: Foundations

1. Becoming an Employee Activist

2. Understanding Power and Influence

Part II: Driving Change

3. Getting Ready To Act

4. Creating Change From Within

5. Convincing Decision-Makers

Part III: Sustaining the Movement

6. Expanding Your Influence

7. Staying Resilient

Conclusion