SUSTAINABLE OFFICE CERTIFICATION AT CLARKSON

Transcription

1 CLARKSON SUSTAINABLE OFFICE SUSTAINABLE OFFICE CERTIFICATION AT CLARKSON C E RTIFIE D Thank you for committing to maximizing efficiency and personal and environmental health and minimizing resource use and waste in our shared workplaces! The Institute for a Sustainable Environment (ISE) initiated this certification to recognize your efforts to increase the sustainability of our campus. Sustainability across campus means that we strive to: Increase efficiency in our use of time, materials and energy and its corollary; Reduce waste; Choose to use material goods and energy resources that are less harmful to the environment and public health; Value the natural environment of our campus and community; and Provide a work environment that promotes employee efficiency and comfort. After reviewing and updating office practices and completing the checklist, your office will receive a certificate celebrating your certification status and will be acknowledged on the ISE and HR websites. Steps to Certification There are two stages of sustainable office certification. The first step is the Green Knight certification, with additional challenges required for the Gold Knight certification. To receive certification, please submit the appropriate checklist with all boxes checked (unless not applicable) and containing signatures of at least 75% of full- and part-time staff, student workers and faculty. The signatures affirm that each individual is making an effort to maximize efficiency and reduce their office s resource use by taking the steps required by that level of certification. Complete checklists can be submitted by April 29, for our first formal celebration of your efforts to increase the sustainability on our campuses. Completed checklists can be ed to the Institute for a Sustainable Environment, sustain@clarkson.edu. To Learn More For more information about the University s sustainability efforts, visit or contact the Institute for a Sustainable Environment (x3856) for questions and support as you work towards your sustainability goals.

2 CLARKSON SUSTAINABLE OFFICE C E RTIFIE D APPLICATION FOR THE SUSTAINABLE OFFICE CERTIFICATION Date Submitted Office/Unit Name Primary Contact Total number of people in the office Sustainability Goal Green Knight Gold Knight List and briefly explain items not applicable for our office Questions/Comments/Feedback I/We representative(s) of the above office or program applying for Sustainable Office Certification sign below (electronic signatures preferred) to confirm that to the best of my/ our knowledge, this office has successfully completed all applicable steps required for the level we are trying to attain. The members of our office or program sign to affirm that they have read and understand the Sustainable Office Certification Checklist we are applying for, and commit to taking the individual actions on this checklist in order to increase the efficiency of our operations and reduce the negative impacts on our personal health and the environment. The signatures included below represent at least 75% of our office s full- and part-time staff and faculty members. Please send to Institute for a Sustainable Environment at sustain@clarkson.edu.

3 CLARKSON GREEN KNIGHT CERTIFIED SUSTAIN A BLE SUSTAINABLE OFFICE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM GREEN KNIGHT CERTIFICATION Energy We shut off our monitors and/or manually send our computers into energy saving modes (standby, sleep or hibernate) when not in use and turn them off at night. As backup, we enabled the OIT recommended power management settings on our computers. If changing these settings requires administrative rights, we ve contacted the Help Desk for assistance. We have sleep-mode enabled on all copiers and all printers after five minutes or less of inactivity. All lights are turned off when not in use during the day and at night, including in common areas such as conference rooms, storage closets and bathrooms. Material Reduce/Reuse/Recycle We print or copy to both sides of a page whenever possible. Double-siding is set as a default on our office computers, and we placed a visual prompt on our copy machine to remind members of our office to double-side whenever possible. In order to save paper when printing and copying, we reuse paper that has text on only one side whenever appropriate. We keep a scrap paper pile near our printer and/or copier. We reuse envelopes instead of buying and using new envelopes whenever possible for inter-campus mail. There are well-labeled recycling bins in all common areas where trash bins are present, such as in a main office, break rooms, conference rooms, mailrooms and copy rooms. In our office, recycling signs are clearly posted on or near recycling bins. We spent several minutes reviewing proper recycling practices at a recent staff meeting to ensure that all members of our office are aware of the rules and had their questions answered. When we need to dispose of or buy office furniture and equipment, we use Clarkson s GreenCycle to announce our needs or availability of goods. If we publish a newsletter or flyer, we offer an electronic version that readers can select instead of the paper version. Food and Hospitality If we provide paper products in our break area, we purchase napkins and paper towels that have 100% recycled content and at least 75% postconsumer recycled content (see NRDC or Ecorate, to learn which brands meet this classification). We provide recycling bins at events and meetings sponsored by our office. We do not use or serve water in individual sized plastic water bottles. We do not provide Styrofoam cups.

4 CLARKSON GREEN KNIGHT CERTIFIED SUSTAIN A BLE Office Environment and Work Space We are sensitive to colleagues needs regarding office noise levels (voice, radio and phone conversations). We keep our work space free of safety hazards (unsafe use of extension cords, trip hazards, piles of paper and boxes). We take breaks, stretch at our desks and get up and stretch to maintain physical activity even in an office environment. We proactively address inefficient work practices and procedures to reduce wasted time and human resources. Transportation Members of our office feel that there are adequate bike racks for staff, faculty and students near our buildings. If not, we completed a work order to request relocation of existing bike racks or checked to see if obtaining new racks is a possibility. Members of our office walk to meetings or classes in other buildings on campus to the extent they are physically able. Purchasing For printing and copying, our office only uses paper with at least 75% recycled content. (Contact Lisa Emburey, lemburey@clarkson.edu, to order your supply.) Before we purchase office furniture, such as file cabinets, desks, etc., we check to see if Facilities/Operations have any surplus in stock or we check Clarkson s GreenCycle. If we must purchase new (or used) appliances and equipment (printers, copiers, microwaves, refrigerators, etc.), we only purchase Energy Star or EPEAT certified models. Participation Our office sustainability initiatives are reviewed at least annually at an office meeting.

5 SUSTAINABLE OFFICE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM GOLD KNIGHT CERTIFICATION Energy We examined our office s use of individual and networked printers and other electronic devices, and contacted OIT, helpdesk@clarkson.edu, about consolidating use where it makes sense. During cold weather, all of our windows are shut tightly, if applicable. We close our window shades to reduce solar heat gain in the summer or nighttime heat loss in the winter. We send, or will send, an to our staff before holidays and breaks containing energy-saving tips. Material Reduce/Reuse/Recycle Our committees use Moodle or the S:// drive to share files rather than printing and distributing paper copies. We have a designated area in our office for sharing office supplies that can be reused (file folders, binders, pens, paper clips, etc.). We reduce paper margins in order to decrease the length of documents we may print. In our office, department or building, we have at least one recycling collection bin for small electronic waste: CFLs, CDs, audio tapes, batteries, cell phones, pagers, PDAs and inkjet printer cartridges. This collection area has been publicized and signs exist explaining what can be recycled here. We contact our custodian to bring our large electronic waste (computers, laptops, printers, A/V, office phones, etc.) to IT services or the A/V collection area so that it may be recycled properly. Food and Hospitality We carry and use reusable water bottles, mugs and take-out containers. We have reusable mugs, dishware and silverware for staff and visitor use. Before events and meetings, we send an reminding attendees to bring mugs or reusable cups if beverages will be served. At our events and meetings, we reduce waste by providing the following in bulk containers: sugar, salt, condiments and beverages (including water). Office Environment and Work Space Each of our work spaces is configured ergonomically to sustain our health and wellness. We keep our work space clean and free of dust, perfumes and other allergens to minimize potential health impacts. Transportation When planning work-related travel, we borrow the University s hybrid vehicles when available and carpool to the extent possible. Participation We have a designated section of an office bulletin board or have a separate board for posting tips and information about sustainability practices, events and groups. We include information about our office/departmental sustainability policies and goals in new hire packets for all new staff.