Department achieves sustainability goals, continues to move forward
AREC has now earned Silver Certification in the Office Sustainability Program by the University Office of Sustainability. This reflects the enthusiastic support from an active Sustainability Committee, as the Department had been awarded Bronze Certification in January.
Furthering the goals of integrating sustainability into campus culture by conserving water, saving energy, and minimizing waste, the program encourages faculty, staff, and students to participate through issuing specific suggestions for practices supporting sustainability. For instance, some of the efforts leading to our advanced certification include
- the purchase and use of green cleaning products for our office
- bulk purchases of condiments, coffee, and other supplies to minimize packaging waste
- maintaining live plants throughout our offices to help improve air quality
- using either 100 percent recycled or tree-free paper for general purpose printing and copying
- buying recycled and environmentally friendly office products such as file folders, note pads, Post-it notes, desk accessories , etc.
- taking advantage of teleworking opportunities, where possible
- promoting and enabling alternatives to in-person meetings (such as video-conferencing and conference calls)
- replacing our old power strips with “Smart” power strips
- including an introduction to AREC’s sustainability initiatives in new staff/faculty orientation
- purchasing office furniture from Terrapin Trader when possible
The AREC Sustainability Committee is dedicated to continuous improvement. We are pleased to have advanced to Silver Certification in our first year. Our eye is on the Gold!
