Office of Energy and Sustainability

How to Get Involved

Office Selection

Select a representative for your office.

An office can be any size––both physically and in number of employees––so long as there is at least one full-time staff member and they have some designated office space in which to apply the Green Office criteria.

Responsibilities of the liaison: The liaison should be a full-time staff member. The liaison is expected to be the ambassador of the program to the office and communicate with the Office of Energy and Sustainability (OES) and their officemates as necessary. The liaison will fill out the Google Sheet evaluation on behalf of their office. It is recommended that the liaison schedule a staff meeting where they can receive input from their co-workers about their practices in the office. An OES representative is happy to join such meetings. Any requests for recertification or questions about the program should be directed to the GOPro staff by the liaison.

Responsibilities of the office: Fill out the commitments list and begin working to implement the commitments daily. Speak with the office liaison and provide answers to each of the questions on the Google Sheet. Hang the plaque in a recognizable spot in the office, and download the GOPro graphic badge (see Resources) to display on the office’s website. Participate in Green Office programs as your interest and availability allows.

Initial Office Evaluation

The liaison will be sent a Google Sheet Evaluation containing a series of yes or no questions about current practices in the office. These questions pertain to practices the office is already performing, as well as ones the office will begin implementing after certification. The liaison will complete this form on behalf of their office, though they would be strongly encouraged to coordinate with their co-workers in order to report the most accurate data possible. Based on the results of this evaluation, the office would be ranked on a particular tier. Note that *Gold* and **Green** tiers have specific criteria required in order to certify at those levels.  Along with joining the program, downloadable materials such as posters and fliers will be provided by the OES on this web portal (see Resources below). These can be posted around the office and serve as a daily reminder of choices that can promote green initiatives.

Certification is self-reporting, but the offices may be subject to walkthroughs by an OES staff member at any time. There will be a follow-up evaluation six months after the program has started to see how the program is going, then again a year after starting. After two years, the OES staff will ask the office if they are interested in re-certifying, but it is not required that they do so. If the office would like to track and share their progress, the OES will provide space on our website and in other media (eNewsletter, social media, etc.) to publicize their efforts. Recertification is allowed at any time. The OES will also announce GoPro programming (i.e summits, professional-development luncheons) and encouraged participating offices to attend.

Commitment Tiers

  • Bronze: 15-20
  • Silver: 21-25
  • Gold*: 26-30 (including 3 required marked with *)
  • Green**: 31-35 (including 6 required marked with **)

The commitments apply to the whole office, even if a commitment says “I.” For the “I” statements, it is advised that the liaison either a) perform the action on behalf of the whole office, for example: turn off lights at the end of the day or b) ask their co-workers about their habits to get a general sense of whether most of the office exhibits that action.  The entire office would have to plan to work together towards a common certification goal. The results of the initial survey will indicate which level of certification they are closest to achieving, but they may aim for the highest level they choose.