In February, Technology Transfer achieved a bronze certification in the Sustainable Office Program, but the staff in the office were determined to improve from bronze to silver or gold! Marie Bartos, the Sustainable Office Representative, met with Katharine Targett, Sustainability Program Manager to discuss the checklist of actions and determine ways the office could improve. "Taking this survey helped us to be more aware of how important even the little things are and can still make a big difference," she said. "Even though we are a small office on campus, we hope we can show that if we all try to do our part, we can make a difference in the big scheme of things."
The certification process includes specific questions that address day-to-day behavior such as regularly turning off the lights when you leave the office, waste reduction and recycling. A gold certification indicates that the office has completed over 90 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.’
The Sustainable Office Program was launched in the Spring of 2015. It now has certified four offices and there are multiple offices still in the certification process. We encourage Technology Transfer to celebrate the good news of the re-certification 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!
