Northwestern University
EN-6: Employee Educators Program

Green Office Team Leaders are selected by their offices to lead their colleagues through Green Office Certification.

sustainNU staff holds a training workshop for green team leaders before an office begins the Green Office certification process. In addition, the sustainNU staff regularly advises green team leaders throughout the process of achieving certification. (See the notes section for more on the specific types of peer-to-peer education that the Green Office leaders provide.)

The sustainNU staff administers the program. This involves developing program materials, recruiting participants, training green team leaders, tracking participation, and holding re-certification workshops.

Employee educators in the Green Office program educate their peers in a variety of ways. They lead their coworkers through the process of conducting an assessment of their workplace. This involves a walk through of the space focused on identifying opportunities to conserve resources, use less energy, facilitate recycling, or take other steps to become more sustainable. Green Office leaders also educate their peers by hosting presentations and events focused on sustainability, posting information about recycling and energy conservation in the workplace, including sustainability reminders in team meetings and newsletters. Green Team leaders also work with the sustainNU program to help keep their colleagues informed about sustainability events taking place on campus such as Earth Month activities, lectures, and other special events. Other examples of how Green Office leaders have educated their peers include: - Hosting zero waste meetings and events that feature education on cutting waste - Providing all new staff with Green Office information along with a reusable mug and water bottle - Hosting coffee gatherings that require participants to bring their own reusable mugs - Co-hosting events such as park clean-up days with the sustainNU program