Tuesday, February 25, 2020
This month the office of Counseling and Psychological Services (UCPS) became the first office in Johnson Hall to complete the Sustainable Office Program certification. After completing 86 sustainable actions, the office earned a silver certification and became the 16th silver certified office and the 43rd overall certified office throughout Lehigh University. UCPS offers a lot of useful resources in their office that helps contribute to the overall climate and culture of campus. For this reason, the office was able to check off 71% of the actions under the Community Building and Social Equity category. UCPS emphasizes the importance of the social equity pillar of sustainability.
Through the Sustainable Office Program, one office member is responsible for being the lead for their office and acts as a point of communication between the Office of Sustainability and their office. Shamell Brandon served as the Sustainable Office Representative for UCPS and pushed his office to make operational changes and become more conscientious of how sustainable their actions are. Shamell highlighted the importance of sustainability in his office by saying, "The Counseling Center recognizes that human well-being sustainably flourishes within healthy ecosystems. Therefore, we commit to doing our part to help Lehigh University be a psychologically, socially, and environmentally healthy ecosystem." While most initially think of sustainability in an environmental lense, it is important to remember a healthy ecosystem requires healthy and happy people.
In an effort to certify all of Johnson Hall, UCPS nominated the Health Center in attempts to start a chain reaction of sustainability within their building. Certified offices are popping up all throughout Lehigh University, from Mountaintop Campus, down to Asa Packer Campus. If your office would like to join in the movement, you can register for the Sustainable Office Program here. You can also reach out to the Office of Sustainability for more information regarding the program or to request a presentation at your upcoming staff meeting.