Yesterday morning I went to my managing editor with a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary request. I needed to take an extended lunch break in order to take part in a demonstration for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) - which involved wearing nothing but spinach leaves.

There’s no way around it. Getting an office to ‘go green’ is a huge challenge. Us office workers are all very much set in our ways.

Whether we prefer to read lengthy reports on paper instead of on screen, or to throw all our rubbish into the closest bin without a second thought, we generally don’t like to have to change.

We detest anything that requires effort while yielding limited reward. Heaven forbid we should do something for which we may never see tangible results.

When the ITWeb Green Team was first established we brainstormed a number of practical ideas that could be implemented in the office – with the least resistance. Switching off lights, placing more recycling bins and recycling ink cartridges all got the ‘green’ light.

We also tried something else though. Something a little more radical. Something that required a little more buy-in from our co-workers. Something known as (cue dramatic music) “Meat Free Mondays”.

Shock! Horror! How would we ever be able to go a lunch break without chicken or beef?! The mind boggles.