LTS Student & General Services was one of the first offices to become certified in the Sustainable Office Program when the program was launched in Spring 2015. Now, a little over a year later, LTS expressed an interest in applying for recertification and recently completed 79 sustainable actions to re-certify from bronze to silver certification!
The Sustainable Office Program is a voluntary, self-guided program designed for staff to take the lead on promoting environmental practices in the workplace. By taking action in a variety of topic areas, offices like LTS Student & General Services can reduce their environmental footprint, be responsible stewards of university’s resources, and contribute to Lehigh’s sustainability goals and commitments. A silver certification indicates that the office has completed over 60 of the sustainable office actions. These actions are categorized by ‘Participation & Engagement,’ ‘Climate & Energy,’ ‘Food & Dining,’ ‘Purchasing,’ ‘Community Building & Social Equity,’ ‘Transportation,’ ‘Waste,’ Water,’ and ‘Events & Meetings.’ In order for a department or office to be certified, they must complete actions in each of these categories.
Each certified office appoints a Sustainable Office Representative. Andy Januszak is the representative for LTS. When asked why his office went for recertification Andy said, “We chose to go for re-certification after we looked through the item list and saw that we’re already participating in more sustainable actions since our certification in bronze.” He said, “To us sustainability means connecting the dots between technology, working smarter, and remembering to leave the planet a little better than we found it.”
There is a visible environmental consciousness on the Lehigh campus, as exhibited here. As the Sustainability Program Manager, I am very optimistic about the future of the Sustainable Office Program. I encourage LTS Student & General Services to celebrate the good news by sharing their accomplishments in the Sustainable Office Program online and with co-workers! I look forward to seeing more offices and departments either joining the program or re-certifying to a higher certification level.
Let us know your office is interested in the program by filling out the registration form. A Sustainable Office team member will further discuss the program with your office before beginning.