Amherst College
EN-3: Staff Engagement and Training

3.1 Staff sustainability network or engagement program 

An institution earns 2 points when it has at least one voluntary network or engagement program open to non-academic staff that is sustainability-focused. This may include:

• Green office programs
• Staff sustainability clubs and organizations
• Sustainability-focused gatherings held during regular work hours that are open to non-academic employees (e.g., “brown bag” events)
• Peer-to-peer education programs in which employee educators from diverse departments or units are selected and trained to help catalyze change among their peers (e.g., a green leaders or sustainability ambassadors program)

Partial points are available. An institution that does not have a sustainability-focused staff network or engagement program, but does have at least one staff network or engagement program that is advancing ecological integrity or racial equity and social justice earns 1 point.

Measurement

Report on currently active voluntary associations that are primarily composed of employees (e.g., staff networks, organizations, and clubs) and programs that are primarily designed to engage staff members. Formal institutional committees, e.g., tasked with advancing specific aspects of sustainability, do not qualify.

To qualify as sustainability-focused, a network or program must have a primary and explicit focus on the integrated concept of sustainability or the interdependence of ecological systems and social/cultural/economic systems. This focus must be evident in the published mission statement or description of the network or program.

3.2 Sustainability-focused staff training

An institution earns 2 points when it makes available sustainability-focused training opportunities to non-academic staff on at least an annual basis. 

Measurement

Report on the current status of the institution’s programs and initiatives.

To qualify as sustainability-focused, a training opportunity must have a primary and explicit focus on the integrated concept of sustainability or the interdependence of ecological systems and social/cultural/economic systems. This focus must be evident in the published mission statement or description of the training.

A training opportunity may include any activity that develops an individual's sustainability skills, knowledge, expertise, or other characteristics as an employee, e.g., formal coursework, participation in the activities of professional organizations, and/or training provided by the sustainability office. 

Professional development and training for academic staff are addressed in credits within the Curriculum and Research impact areas.

3.3 Percentage of employees that participate in sustainability activities

An institution earns the maximum of 4 points available for this indicator when it has evidence that 50 percent or more of employees participate annually in the institution’s sustainability activities (e.g., as described in indicators 3.1 and 3.2). Partial points are available and earned as outlined in the Technical Manual.

Measurement

Report on the most recent annual data available from within the previous three years.

Participation may be evidenced by joining a sustainability network or organization, attending a sustainability-focused event or training, engaging in an activity sponsored by the sustainability office, or an equivalent action. Neither the passive consumption of information nor awareness of sustainability initiatives qualifies. 

An institution may take one of three approaches in pursuing indicator 3.3:

1. Survey or assessment results. Report the results of an institution-wide survey or sustainability culture assessment that includes one or more items on employee participation in the institution’s sustainability activities. To avail of this option, the survey or assessment results must be indicative of the entire population of employees, as ensured through representative sampling or by making the assessment mandatory.
2. Direct tracking of participation. Report on the participation figures collected for the sustainability-focused activity that has the highest participation rate (e.g., event attendance). The figures for two or more activities may be aggregated if the potential for double-counting (counting the same individual more than once because they participate in more than one activity) is minimal (e.g., if there are separate activities for academic and non-academic employees). 
3. Conservative estimate based on mixed/limited data sources. Report on the most credible sources of data that are available, taking steps to minimize double-counting. For example, an institution may use the single best data source for academic employees (e.g., organizational membership) and the single best data source for non-academic employees (e.g., participation in a green office program) and/or adjust figures downward to account for the anticipated extent to which individuals may be counted more than once.

When using limited data sources, do not report a higher percentage range than is credibly supported by the data. Similarly, survey or assessment results may not be extrapolated to a larger population in the absence of representative sampling. For example, the results of a survey of 100 people employed in one division of the institution may only be used to establish the participation status of those individuals; they may not be used to report on the entire population of employees.

Applicable to all institutions.