| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 63.22 |
| Liaison | Jessica Russell |
| Submission Date | Oct. 17, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Mount Royal University
EN-7: Employee Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Courtney
Stange Administrative Assistant Institute for Environmental Sustainability |
Total number of employees (staff + faculty, headcount):
Number of employees served (i.e. directly targeted) by a peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program (avoid double-counting):
Percentage of employees served by a peer-to-peer educator program:
Name of the employee educators program:
Number of employees served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (headcount):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities:
The MRU Green Office Certification Program is a program created to encourage the campus community to take action and develop behaviours to reduce our institutional environmental footprint. It is promoted by the Sustainable MRU committee at the Fall and Spring sustainability fairs, as well as online for all staff and faculty to take part in. Recruitment is done through word of mouth and email communications. Staff and faculty that participate are encouraged to share the program with their colleagues in other departments.
The certification comprises 3 distinctions based on a point threshold: one green leaf, two green leaves, and three green leaves. These points are awarded based on actions that fall within 7 categories:
1. Education and Participation
2. Waste Reduction / Recycling
3. Energy
4. Transportation and Travel
5. Paper and Printing
6. Green Procurement/ Purchasing
7. Innovation
Generally, interested volunteers are designated as the 'team lead' and will brief their department colleagues on the program. Together, they review the sustainable behaviours currently being exemplified by their office and which actions to pursue to increase their leaf status. The Sustainable MRU committee and Institute for Environmental Sustainability representatives are available for support as required.
A brief description of how the employee educators are selected:
The Sustainable MRU Committee advertises the program at the Fall and Spring Sustainability fairs in high traffic areas and online, and invites all staff and faculty to participate. Employees can sign up by department/office by completing the form hosted on the mru.ca/sustainability website and will hear back from the Sustainable MRU representative to review the form and sustainable behaviours more closely. Staff and faculty are encouraged to share the program with their colleagues in other offices, departments, and divisions.
A brief description of the formal training that the employee educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach:
At the sustainability fairs, the Sustainable MRU representative reviews the Green Office Certification document with interested participants and provides them with the clarification they'll need to complete the checklist. The checklist, developed holistically as a training document so that it is easily understandable for all employees, is also available on the Mount Royal sustainability website under the Resources section. Participants are encouraged to work as a team with their colleagues and contact the Sustainable MRU representative as support is required.
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or paid faculty/staff coordination):
Financial support is provided by Facilities Management (the sponsor of the Sustainable MRU Committee) as required. Administrative program support is provided by the Sustainable MRU Committee members and Institute for Environmental Sustainability representative. Printing of all certificates is provided free of charge by Document Services.
Name of the employee educators program (2nd program):
Number of employees served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (headcount) (2nd program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):
The vision statement of the Green Team is "to promote environmental awareness and action with the Faculty of Continuing Education & Extension and the MRU Community."
The focus is to:
a) Model practices that have minimal impact on the environment
b) Demonstrate the mindful stewardship of resources
c) Promote the 4 R's: Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle
d) Support social initiatives to nurture and sense of community
Peer-to-peer outreach activities include:
1) Green Thumb Lunch 'n Learn events
2) Earth Day Artisan Gala and silent auction (annually)
3) Published the Green Tip of the Month in faculty newsletter
4) Financial donation for SAMRU's "Season of Caring"
Members of the Green Team are responsible for communication initiatives and outreach within their offices. This includes sharing activities as well as activity learnings with their peers.
A brief description of how the employee educators are selected (2nd program):
Employees volunteer to join the Green Team. This group is based on individual commitment to environmental issues.
A brief description of the formal training that the employee educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (2nd program):
Members of the Green Team are responsible for communication initiatives and outreach within their offices. This includes sharing activities as well as activity learnings with their peers via email, poster, and word of mouth. Due to the close-knit nature of the Continuing Education department, no additional formal training is required or provided.
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or paid faculty/staff coordination) (2nd program):
Administratively, the Faculty of Continuing Education and Extension supported the Green Team to create a Committee Charter in 2014 which clarified the vision, mission, authority and membership of the team. A member of the Dean's Advisory Council (DAG) was appointed to the team to provide support and feedback as well as share initiative with senior administrators. DAG would provide financial support for projects and community initiatives.
A brief description of all other employee peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs, including the number of employees served and how employee educators are selected, trained, and supported by the institution:
Total number of hours employee educators are engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities annually:
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.