The University Human Resources and the Office of the Architect has spearheaded and will pilot the Green Workplace Program, a measure to support sustainability programs on Grounds and address the global climate crisis on a practical level.
The program would encourage University faculty, schools and offices to take responsibility for developing environmentally sustainable practices.
Rob Andrejewski, Office of Sustainability outreach and engagement coordinator,
said the office hopes to bridge the gap between larger climate change issues and feasible actions to improve them.
Certification under the new program begins when a few individuals get together and form a Green Team, trained to lead the process and establish a Green Workspace.
“[At the] end of the calendar year [we] hope for fifteen workplaces,” Andrejewski said.
Andrejewski described the program as a way to implement concrete changes on Grounds by allowing workplaces to earn points for each sustainability measure carried out.
“[The] heart of it is a checklist,” Andrejewski said. “Sixty different actions in Green Workplace Program in eight different categories [from] energy, transportation, purchasing, zero waste, community, health, food and innovation.”
“One of the easy ones for energy is light switch prompts,” Andrejewski said, referring to stickers placed by light switches reminding people to turn them off.
“In order for us to deal with big societal problems ... we need to make them manageable,” Andrejewski said.
He emphasized the need for people to hold themselves accountable, regardless of how minimal their efforts are.
“‘What can I do?’ is a really important question that people actually ask,” Andrejewski said. “We’ve got the nitrogen footprint [to] track our nitrogen loss, but the average person may not know what that may have to do with him or her.”
Andrejewski said Green Workplace Program members believe it is important for University faculty and staff to tackle sustainability measures, as many student initiatives already are already in place.
Students said it is key for administration to take an active approach to sustainability.
“Because there are so many people here, if every person does small things it can have a large impact,” second-year College student Lila King said. “ I think it will inspire students to be sustainable in the future.”
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