Over the last year, the University has been piloting a Green Office program to help departments inject a little green into their black and gold.
“Many employees are passionate about seeing sustainability in their work,” says Mat Thijssen, the University’s Sustainability Coordinator. “But often they don’t feel empowered to affect change, even among their peers. The Green Office program is a way to formalize, recognize, and support their efforts at the department level.”
The program was developed through consultation with interested departments, and includes a peer-to-peer ambassador network, a toolkit of best practices and templates, and a common scorecard to generate ideas and measure progress.
“When the pilot began, we were hoping for about 10 ambassadors, with a few departments formally participating,” says Thijssen. “By September we had about 30 ambassadors from 19 departments, with 7 departments receiving a ‘Bronze’ certification, and all with fairly limited promotion. That shows a deep level of enthusiasm.”
Office activities have been diverse, from forming green teams to partnering with Campus Compost for food waste collection. Others have put up reminders to turn off the lights or integrated sustainability into their purchasing decisions for office supplies. Even simple reminders about existing tools and proper practice can reinforce positive action and build sustainability-minded cultures.
The following departments received a Bronze certification during the pilot, with a few already headed for silver:
- Centre for Teaching Excellence
- Dean of Arts Office
- Dean of Engineering Office
- Dean of Environment Office
- Graduate Studies Office
- Library
- Propel Centre for Population Health Impact
Going forward, the goal will be to continue expanding the program into new departments, and helping participants make progress on action items.
For a full list of participating departments, or to become an ambassador for your office, visit the Green Office page.
This article originally appeared in the Daily Bulletin on October 13, 2016.