| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.66 |
| Liaison | Megan Litke |
| Submission Date | March 5, 2021 |
American University
EN-7: Employee Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.65 / 3.00 |
Courtney
Stoner Sustainability Analyst Office of Sustainability |
Total number of employees:
Total number of employees served by a peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program:
Percentage of employees served by a peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program:
Name of the employee educators program (1st program):
A brief description of the employee educators program (1st program):
The Green Office Program provides an opportunity for AU staff and faculty to contribute directly to achieving the university's sustainability goals by promoting the adoption of sustainable practices within offices. The action checklists provide concrete steps that offices can take to integrate sustainability into their daily work and office culture. The green team leader within each office engages the office team in choosing items to complete from each checklist, including changing printing habits, participating in staff wellness programs, considering purchasing changes and sustainable commuting options, and attending Office of Sustainability events.
As part of the Green Office Program, all Green Office Representatives receive an hour-long training from an Office of Sustainability staff member about the program, how to get involved, and how to encourage their peers and colleagues to participate in sustainable behaviors.
A brief description of the employee educators program’s target audience (1st program):
The Green Office Program is open to any of the university offices.
Number of trained employee educators (1st program):
Number of weeks the employee educators program is active annually (1st program):
Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained employee educator (1st program):
Total number of hours worked annually by trained employee educators (1st program):
Website URL where information about the employee educators program is available (1st program) :
Name of the employee educators program (2nd program):
A brief description of the employee educators program (2nd program):
Now in its 11th year, the Green Teaching program has certified more than 500 individual professors at AU as “Green Teachers,” by allowing them to collect points for a variety of environmental actions, intended to (1) reduce the use of paper by moving towards using course materials, assignments, and exams in an electronic format; (2) reduce the use of energy and reduce pollution by using energy efficient equipment, e.g. by making a habit of turning off equipment not in use; scheduling office hours on the day of class; or biking or carpooling to campus; and (3) commit to other measures, such as using reusable food and beverage containers; or talking to department staff about purchasing recycled materials and supplies. Certified faculty receive a Green Teaching Certificate Seal which they can include on Blackboard course pages and syllabi.
The Green Teaching Program is run by the AU Center for Teaching, Research, and Learning (CTRL). The direct impact of the program on AU’s campus sustainability is substantial, both given the large number of faculty who participate in the program, and the number of students who take the faculty's courses. Faculty serve as sustainability liaisons in their respective department by helping to pass along communications about campus sustainability initiatives and events and encourage other faculty to become certified. By getting involved in the Green Teaching Program, the participating academic staff become experts in making the classroom greener and can share tips with other colleagues. Faculty are required to re-apply each academic year, allowing them to build and improve their score.
Some of the ways to earn points in the program is by referring other faculty to the program and sharing the program information, asking graduate research and/or teaching assistant to also follow green teaching criteria, and talking to department staff about purchasing recycled materials and supplies.
A brief description of the employee educators program’s target audience (2nd program):
This program is directed towards academic staff.
Number of trained employee educators (2nd program):
Number of weeks the employee educators program is active annually (2nd program):
Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained employee educator (2nd program):
Total number of hours worked annually by trained employee educators (2nd program):
Website URL where information about the employee educators program is available (2nd program):
A brief description of all other employee peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs:
Number of trained employee educators (all other programs):
Number of weeks, on average, the employee educators programs are active annually (all other programs):
Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained employee educator (all other programs):
Total number of hours worked annually by trained employee educators (all other programs):
Grand total number of hours worked annually by trained employee educators (all programs):
Hours worked annually by trained employee sustainability educators per employee served by a peer-to-peer program:
Website URL where information about the employee sustainability educators programs is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
139 employees reached by Green Office Program
179 employees reached by Green Teaching Program
*Data is as of pre-COVID
139 employees reached by Green Office Program
179 employees reached by Green Teaching Program
*Data is as of pre-COVID
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.