Overall Rating Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison Tavey Capps
Submission Date Feb. 25, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Duke University
EN-6: Employee Educators Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Tavey Capps
Environmental Sustainability Director
Office of the Executive Vice President
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution administer or oversee an ongoing faculty/staff peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program that meets the criteria for this credit?:
Yes

Total number of employees:
30,472

Name of the employee educators program (1st program) :
Duke Green Workplace Certification

Number of employees served by the program (1st program):
1,508

A brief description of how the employee educators are selected (1st program):

Duke Green Workplace Certification is a program created by Sustainable Duke to help staff reduce the environmental footprint of their workplace. The program helps to train and foster staff sustainability leaders within a department and provides resources to guide the process of greening their workplace. Green Workplace Certification is awarded based on completion of a checklist of actions. Only staff who have attended the Leading for Environmental Sustainability Workshop are eligible to complete the checklist on behalf of their department. The checklist is accessible online to these staff members. While some offices may have only a few staff members working closely on the checklist, all staff in the office should be familiarized with the checklist and personal actions they can take that contribute to office sustainability. For this reason, the certification is recommended for groups of 5 to 20 staff. Of the 58 items on the checklist, 40 items must be completed to receive certification. Certified offices receive a sticker for display in their workplace, as well as recognition on Sustainable Duke’s website, on Duke Today, and in the sustainability e-newsletter.


A brief description of the formal training that the employee educators receive (1st program):

Staff from across the university and health system who are interested in sustainability attend the Leading for Environmental Sustainability Workshop (more info in question below). These staff leaders are then tasked with sharing information back to their departments through e-mails, newsletter, bulletin boards, staff meetings and more. Sustainable Duke provides resources like PowerPoint presentations to help staff share this information with their coworkers and engaged them in completing the Duke Green Workplace Certification.


A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (1st program):

Duke's Sustainability Outreach Coordinator hosts training and provides presentations to individual departments on campus that are working to become more sustainable. The Sustainability Outreach Coordinator also communicates with leaders of green teams regularly via e-mail and telephone in order to provide resources, advice, and assistance with green team projects. Additionally, Sustainable Duke manages the Duke Green Workplace Certification process, including media promotions of newly certified offices. Finally, Sustainable Duke supports departments financially in their workplace greening projects through funding from the Green Grant Fund, provides a sticker to each certified workplace, provides refreshments at trainings, and hosts sustainability leaders at an annual awards luncheon.


The website URL where information about the program is available (1st program):
Name of the employee educators program (2nd program):
Duke Green Lab Certification

Number of employees served by the program (2nd program):
560

A brief description of how the employee educators are selected (2nd program):

The Duke Green Lab Certification was created to provide research and instructional staff with the opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of Duke University's research and teaching labs. Certified labs will receive signage to place on their door and a Green Lab logo to post to their lab website. In addition they will receive recognition from the University for their achievement.


A brief description of the formal training that the employee educators receive (2nd program):

Prior to submitting a checklist for Duke Green Lab Certification, a staff or faculty member of the lab must attend a monthly Green Labs at Duke meeting to discuss challenge and opportunities for lab greening. Green Labs at Duke is a group of faculty, staff and students dedicated to promoting sustainable practices in Duke University’s research and teaching laboratories. The certification process is overseen by several members of Green Labs at Duke who visit each lab that is seeking certification to walk through the checklist with lab staff and ensure that items are completed correctly.


A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (2nd program):

University staff manage training and oversight of the certification. Green Lab funding is available through the Green Grant Fund. For lab staff working to achieve the Duke Green Lab Certification, Sustainable Duke seeks to provide financial support for energy and water efficient equipment, as well as smaller items to make the lab a greener workplace. For instance, funding could support an energy-saving retrofit of freezer gaskets and seals. For the purchase of new equipment, funding can support the incremental increase in cost for models that save energy and water. Lab staff can also apply for small items to make the workplace greener, such as reusable water bottles or coffee mugs.


The website URL where information about the program is available (2nd program):
Name(s) of the employee educator program(s) (all other programs):
Leading for Environmental Sustainability Workshop; Duke Green Classroom Certification

Number of employees served by all other programs:
458

A brief description of how the employee educators are selected (all other programs):

Sustainable Duke hosts a quarterly three-hour staff sustainability workshop through Learning & Organization Development. The workshop is open to all staff. Staff who attend the workshop are tasked with being a leader for sustainability in their workplace and many engage their coworkers in completing the Duke Green Workplace Certification. Staff are added to a listserv maintained by Sustainable Duke, which is used for discussion about workplace greening efforts and to engage staff in additional sustainability programming.

The Duke Green Classroom Certification is a voluntary program created to provide faculty with the opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of their courses and classrooms at Duke University while demonstrating eco-friendly behaviors to students. Faculty are encouraged to engage peer faculty within their departments in the certification as well. Green Teaching can constitute a number of different teaching strategies, including reduction of paper use or paperless teaching, reduction of energy use in the classroom, and reduction in use of classroom supplies other than paper. Faculty who achieve Duke's Green Classroom Certification take significant steps to green the delivery of their course. Examples of common practices implemented by faculty to reduce the environmental impact of their course include allowing electronic submission of assignments, providing online readings and turning off lights and electronics in the classroom when they are not in use. The eco-friendly aspects of course delivery may vary by faculty, by course, and throughout the semester. Certification must be obtained prior to the start date of the course. Duke Green Classroom Certification is awarded based on the completion of 25 of the 35 items on a checklist.


A brief description of the formal training that the employee educators receive (all other programs):

The three-hour, interactive Leading for Environmental Sustainability Workshop covers: sustainability efforts at Duke University; personal changes staff can make to reduce their environmental footprint at work; guiding a department through the Duke Green Workplace Certification; starting and leading a green team; and resources provided by Sustainable Duke.

For the faculty community participating in the Green Classroom Certification, Sustainable Duke offers a training in partnership with the Center for Instructional Technology at Duke at their annual teaching showcase.


A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program(s) (all other programs):

Sustainable Duke provides snacks for the Leading for Environmental Sustainability Workshop. All employees (staff & faculty) are eligible to apply for Green Grant Funding to fund their campus sustainability project ideas.


The website URL where information about the program(s) is available (all other programs):
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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.