WATERLOO'S GOAL
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By 2025, increase from 5% to 25% the proportion of university departments that are Green Office certified
Supporting SDGs
Overview
The Green Office program is a way for staff and faculty to be a part of the change they want to see at the University of Waterloo. Participants can:
- Learn new skills
- Build relationships across campus
- Make a positive impact on campus sustainability
- Achieve certification for your department
The program was piloted from January through September of 2016 to evaluate successes, challenges, and resources required. The Green Office Overview (PDF) is available for download.
How it works
The Green Office program is grassroots-driven. It supports ambassadors from each participating department to walk through five steps to improve the sustainability of their office space:
- GO Ambassador: this step empowers department champions
- GO Check: ambassadors evaluate current practices
- GO Pledge: members of the department complete a participation pledge
- GO Action: ambassadors implement new practices in their department
- GO Awesome: departments receive recognition for their efforts
Ambassadors can access the following tools to help them make these changes:
- Ambassador network: Events and a discussion board with like-minded champions from across campus who are also supporting efforts in their own areas.
- Resource toolkit: A set of templates, best-practice guides, and communication materials.
- Recognition: A common scorecard to help identify new project opportunities and receive a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum designation for your office.
- Support structures: the Sustainability Office will provide resources, check-ins, and trainings to tackle action items.
Leaderboard
As of November 2022:
- Dean of Environment Office (139 points)
- Centre for Teaching Excellence (133 points)
- Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Programs (132 points)
Certified departments
As of November 2022:
The following departments are participating in the Green Office program and have received certification under the Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Bronze designation. They are listed in alphabetical order in each category, with the number of employees included in brackets.
You can explore individual scorecard submissions in the chart below by using the Department and Year filters.
- Dean of Environment Office (24)
- Centre for Teaching Excellence (25)
- Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Programs (40)
- Centre for Extended Learning (80)
- Library (125)
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability (23)
- Centre for Career Action (28)
- Civil & Environmental Engineering (70)
- Dean of Engineering Office (50)
- Dean of Health Office (24)
- Knowlege Integration (8)
- Plant Operations - Environmental Services (200)
- Political Science (24)
- Recreation and Leisure Studies (21)
- Registrar's Office (130)
- English Language Institute, Rension (36)
- School of Pharmacy (30)
- Student Success Office (55)
- Water Institute (5)
- Finance (46)
- Food Services (300)
- Geography and Environmental Management (34)
- Information Systems & Technology (150)
- Institutional Analysis and Planning (23)
- Office of Research (102)
- Office of the President (7)
- Safety Office (11)
- Social Development Studies, Renison (17)
- St. Jerome's University College (100)
- AccessAbility Services
- Architecture
- Campus Housing
- Campus Wellness
- Catering and Event Services
- Cooperative & Experiential Education
- Dean of Science
- Economics
- Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Faculty Association
- French Studies
- Legal and Immigration Studies
- Math Faculty Computing Facility
- Office of Advancement
- Physics
- Psychology
- School of Accounting and Finance
- School of Computer Science
- School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development (SEED)
- Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business
- Systems Design Engineering
- Writing and Communication Centre
- WUSA