In February, the Center for Career & Professional Development achieved a bronze certification in the Sustainable Office Program, but the staff in the office were determined to improve from bronze to silver! Tara Moughan, the Sustainable Office Representative, met with Katharine Targett, Sustainability Program Manager, to discuss the checklist of actions and determine ways the office could improve. “Everyone in the office agrees that we need to do our part to keep the environment sustainable. If we can get everyone on campus to do a little bit, that would be great.” Tara said.
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 the Center for Career & Professional Development 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.
The Sustainable Office Program was launched in the Spring of 2015. It now has certified six offices and there are multiple offices still in the certification process. There is visible environmental consciousness on the Lehigh campus, as exhibited here by the success of this program. As the Sustainability Program Manager, I am very optimistic about the future of the Sustainable Office Program. I encourage the Center for Career & Professional Development to celebrate the good news by sharing their accomplishments with the Sustainable Office Program online and with coworkers! 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. We look forward to seeing more offices and departments join the program!