HR Office Earns Green Certification

The Human Resources Offices of Talent Acquisition and Compensation earned Green Office Certification in December 2018. The departments located within a suite at 1801 Maple Avenue in Evanston are made up of 15 employees with six staff members serving on their Green Team. The Talent Acquisition and Compensation office is the second Human Resources office to achieve certification on the Evanston campus.

With support from sustainNU, the Green Team began their journey towards becoming a Green Certified Office in the summer of 2018.

sustainNU supplied the team with reusable bamboo eating utensils, recycling bin labels, and “turn off your light switch” decal reminders to facilitate outreach and awareness. 

The Green Team brainstormed the many ways they could encourage staff members green behaviors. Each team member led a creative, “Think Green Challenge” encouraging the suite staff members to challenge themselves with their knowledge of general green trivia.

They also set up a bulletin board with general guidelines and visuals to educate staff members on what could and could not be recycled. The Green Team introduced fun and interactive activities such as Recycling 101, Green Bingo, and off-campus initiatives that provided an opportunity to repurpose old plastic bags for a meaningful cause. The team's overall goal was to achieve Green Office Certification by the end of the year. 

In their efforts to reduce waste, the office pantry received a generous kitchen set donation from staff members. The team has also committed to hosting zero waste events using sustainable products.

“Getting certified is a process and takes much dedication from the entire suite staff,” says Team Lead Saher Qadri.

The Green Team will continue to promote their monthly “Think Green Challenge,” and will provide updates on campus sustainability efforts to raise awareness and encourage staff engagement. They are also interested in reducing energy consumption and reducing paper waste from their ongoing operations.

Green Team Members: Saher, Amanda, Shweta, Michael, Eric, and Annum.