by Paul F. P. Pogue
As part of her job as human resources coordinator for Angie's List, Audrey Barron teaches new employees the company's core values: Be fun, honest, respectful, healthy, friendly, creative and frugal.
Barron herself has brought the List new levels of frugality with her green lifestyle. "As long as I can remember, my family was recycling," Barron says. "Since we lived in the country, there was no pickup, so every week we'd drive to the recycling center. It became part of my life."
In her first few jobs after college, Barron tried to encourage office recycling practices, but met resistance. When she joined Angie's List in late 2006, she soon learned that its culture embraced the same activities she supported.
She took over the Angie's List Tree Huggers, an informal group that encourages green practices around campus. The group's achievements include tree and flower planting, streamlining the campus recycling process, and providing every building with dishes so people don't have to use Styrofoam plates and cups.
She's even influenced human resources director Jolie Raufeisen. "Audrey's the greenest person I've ever met," she says. "I've gone thirsty on many occasions just because I was scared for Audrey to see me drink from a Styrofoam cup!"
Though Raufeisen was joking (we think!), Barron's certainly had an effect on her co-workers. "I feel my influence is more by doing than saying," she says. "I rarely lecture or make comments. But people see what I do, and it sets an example."