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Campus Offices Go Green

The Green Office Certification program engages Northwestern staff and faculty in efforts to create more environmentally friendly workplaces on campus. Participating offices receive guidance from the Office of Sustainability as they work to conserve energy, reduce waste, and adopt other environmentally sustainable practices. This spring, three new groups received Green Office Certification. Here’s what members of their Green Teams had to say about the process.

The Institute for Policy Research

Institute for Policy ResearchThe Institute for Policy Research (IPR) is proud to be the first academic department to complete the steps for Green Office Certification. As a part of this process, we conducted assessments of our buildings, evaluating where improvements could be made. We have made efforts to reduce printing, turn off lights, and use reusable water bottles. We were particularly excited about the introduction of mixed recycling, which made recycling easier in our workplace.

“It took a coordinated team effort to complete the process, so we are delighted that all five of IPR’s houses have officially gone green,” said Patricia Reese, IPR communications director, who helped organize the certification process. “We look forward to making even more strides in improving our ecological footprint and raising awareness about this important University-wide effort.”

Kellogg MarComm and Corporate Partnerships

Kellogg MarCommOur team was motivated to participate in Green Office Certification after a team member learned about certification at a “Lunch and Learn” event. Our team is responsible for producing print materials and signage for marketing the Kellogg School of Management. Through the Green Office Certification process, we recognized that we could be leaders for the school by promoting less printing (more digital), selecting greener printing options, and investing in materials that can be used year over year, which would reduce waste. We felt there was an awesome opportunity for us to make a big impact and we rallied around this goal.

We also recognized that there were many things we could do in our office space that would make a difference. In pursuing certification, we addressed water conservation, circulated information about transportation alternatives other than driving, began the process of removing disposable plastic silverware from our kitchen, and became more mindful of how much we print.  

This program brought us together around a cause, and the resources offered by the Office of Sustainability gave us ideas and tools to get started. In forming our Green Team, we identified people with the passion to lead our department in adopting more sustainable practices. Going forward, our Green Team leaders will continue to meet regularly to implement more projects and ideas. Our first goal is to issue a recurring green office newsletter that will provide tips and keep our team engaged in our efforts to reduce our environmental impact.  

Earning certification took time and effort, but it created excitement and energy as, step by step, we got closer to certification. The Office of Sustainability was a wonderful partner and an incredible source of ideas, tools and best practices.

Department of Anthropology

AnthropologyA couple of years ago, a group of graduate students in the anthropology department noticed that our operations could be handled in much more environmentally friendly ways. We began to organize our department's students, faculty, and staff to make changes, and soon found that the resources available through the Green Office Certification program provided an effective means of strengthening our efforts and getting everyone on board.

One of our first activities was to do an audit of recycling bins in our department's buildings. We found that they were unevenly and ineffectively distributed, and were able to change that immediately. We have also replaced plastic water bottles at catered events with a large water pitcher and recyclable cups, and have posted reminders in strategic places to encourage energy-saving practices, recycling, and reductions in printing.

The most exciting aspect of the certification process was learning just how much faculty, staff, and graduate students supported our efforts and wanted to do their part to help.

For us, the program's benefits include getting to take advantage of resources available through the Office of Sustainability, and earning recognition for our efforts in a way that will encourage other departments on campus to take sustainability seriously in their everyday activities.

Going forward, we're taking on new initiatives to encourage our department's members to plan their summer travel in greener ways, and to keep up the momentum on the proper disposal of electronic waste.