engaging staff and faculty through green office certification programs bowen close - pomona college...

Engaging Staff and Faculty through Green Office

Certification Programs

Bowen Close - Pomona College

Kira Stoll - UC Berkeley

Why Do a Green Office/Dept Certification Program?

1 Pro-Actively Engage Employees in Campus Sustainability

2 Identify and Recognize Change Agents in the Organization

3 Connect Students and Staff in Common Efforts

4 Expand Visibility of Sustainability Offices

5 Opportunity to Educate and Train

6 Reduce Environmental Impacts

7 Institutionalize Sustainability & Build Community

UC Berkeley green department certification

green department certification is a new program offered at UC Berkeley to identity and recognize departments on campus that have taken extra steps to lower their environmental footprint. The program identifies certain conditions and actions – some optional and some required – that departments can take to become certified.

“Department” is used generically to mean any department, office, unit, institute, or other administrative unit of 15-20 or more members. Members can be faculty, staff, and/or students.

Points Required for Certification

Blue Certified – Pre-requisites plus 10 out of 30 pointsGold Certified – Pre-requisites plus 15 out of 30 pointsGreen Certified – Pre-requisites plus 20 out of 30 points

UC Berkeley green department categories

Prerequisites (5)

Energy & Climate (3 points)

Built Environment (3 points)

Waste (8 points)

Transportation (1 point)

Purchasing (3 points)

Food & Dining (3 points)

Innovation (10 points)

UC Berkeley green department design

Underlying Issue: Large and Highly decentralized campus

Design Element: Voluntary participation and tiers of certification intended to tap into intra-campus competitive nature

UC Berkeley green department design

Underlying Issue: Departments ask different questions and have different sustainability priorities

Design Element: Point systems allows a modular approach to appeal to a broad range of departments

UC Berkeley green department design

Underlying Issue: How to find new sustainability champions

Design Element: Certification can function like informal training and reach large numbers of staff and students.

UC Berkeley green department design

Underlying Issue: Departments bring their own creativity and existing programs to the certification process.

Design Element: Certification gives innovation points.

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UC Berkeley green department design

Underlying Issue: Departments have declining budgets

Design Element: Certification can be no cost

Personal Workspace Audit Building Sustainability @ Cal Program in conjunction with the Office of Sustainability

UC Berkeley green department progress

Total Certified Departments: 9

Total Staff/Employees: ~ 2900

Process

1 Indicate interest to Sustainability Office

2 Completion of office audit

3 Distribution of green kit

4 Fill out calculator

5 Sustainability Office review

6 Receive certification

7 Celebrate!

Step 2: Office Audit

Basic office info:Name of Office:Office Contact Person:Contact’s Email Address:Contact’s Phone Number:Number of People in Office:

How many sinks?How many recycling bins?How many light switches?

Indicate on a FLOOR PLAN which rooms are included.

Appliance Audit: How many appliances are there in the office?

Copiers:Fax machines:Computers:Printers:Shredders:Refrigerators:Copy Machines:Toaster Oven:Microwave:Water filtration systems:

Step 3: Green Kit

Step 4: Calculator

EnergyWaste

PrintingKitchen

TransportationPurchasing

ParticipationInnovation

Step 4: Calculator

Step 4: Calculator

Step 5: SIO Review

• Answer questions

• Confirm pledged actions

• Assist with providing resources

Step 6: Receive certification

• Web logo

• Poster for office

• Publication in newsletters

• Signage for doors/windows

• 1-year follow-up

Progress

• Seven offices certified

• Two in progress

• Two more interested

• Three students trained as liaisons

Lessons Learned

• The process• Enforcement• Student involvement

• The program• Pilot and calibration• Frequent updating, including prerequisites• Provide new incentives and materials for

motivation• Variations in scope, size

More Information

Pomona College

www.pomona.edu/sustainability

sustainability@pomona.edu

UC Berkeley

http://sustainability.berkeley.edu/os

sustainability@berkeley.edu