Stanford University
EN-9: Staff Professional Development

The Cardinal Green Training Series was launched in 2012 through the university’s AXESS/STARS system. Available to all Stanford staff and faculty, the training courses provide a hands-on exploration of conservation measures and best practices at Stanford. Delivering formal training to the Stanford community was one of the key actions identified through the Sustainability 3.0 strategic planning process completed in 2012.

The Cardinal Green training courses are offered seasonally, in partnership with related Cardinal Green campaigns. For both trainings, there are two regularly scheduled trainings open to all faculty and staff. Additionally, both trainings are now offered in a custom format to any group of 10 or more. Currently available Cardinal Green training modules include:

(1) SST 1000: Sustainable Office Spaces - Offered in Fall Quarter
This session provides a hands-on demonstration of how Stanford's Cardinal Green Office Program can help lead workplaces to greater resource conservation. Employees will learn how to "green" their individual workspace and gain strategies to create a sustainable office environment for their group or building. Two regularly scheduled sessions and one custom session of this training were held in 2016-17.

(2) SST 2000: Best Practices in Waste Reduction - Offered in Winter Quarter
Employees will learn about reducing their waste impact and becoming leaders in their workplaces. This course demonstrates best practices in waste reduction through the 5R's (reduce, reuse, recycle, rot, rebuy) in order to help jumpstart improvements in employee workplaces. Two regularly scheduled sessions and over 8 custom sessions of this training were held in 2016-17.

The Office of Sustainability has also partnered with the university's wellness program, BeWell, to offer the Sustainable Stanford Training Series as BeWell berry-eligible courses under the Environmental Health berry category, meaning that taking these sustainability classes contributes toward the $100 cash incentive that employees receive for doing a total of 6 wellness activities, or “berries.” A total of 250 Stanford staff were trained through the Cardinal Green training series in 2016-17.

There are also other training opportunities within the BeWell Environmental Health category that are both sustainability-related and berry-eligible, including electric vehicle information sessions, active transportation counseling through the Health Improvement Program, trainings on proper waste sorting techniques led by PSSI, and several food-related trainings led by Stanford Dining (which are often included in BeWell’s Nutrition category, rather than Environmental Health). A total of 191 BeWell participants earned a berry in the Environmental Health category in the 2015-16 academic year out of about 10,000 total participants.

Moreover, Stanford's Department of Parking & Transportation Services (P&TS) offers several training opportunities to faculty and staff. For instance, P&TS offers bike usage and safety classes and road shows for faculty and staff. In 2015-16, 34 bike usage and safety classes were held that trained a total of 1,460 attendees, and 4 bike safety road shows were held (one each quarter). Additionally, in May 2017, P&TS launched a training that combines online alternative commute training and active commute experimentation, meant for departments to participate in as groups. Individuals participating from each department were first required to participate in online training to learn about all the commute options available to staff and faculty on campus. Then, individuals were encouraged to try different commute options, using the resources available through the training module, and departments earned points for each day that each participant in the department tried an alternative commute over a set period of time, with the departments with the most points earning a prize at the end of the competition. A total of 2,596 people were trained in alternative commuting through this initiative.

Stanford's Land Use and Environmental Planning (LUEP) group also offers several training programs for staff in the areas of landscape management and conservation. For instance, LUEP runs the Lagunita Naturalist Program, which trains Stanford staff on the history, biology, hydrology, and appropriate use of Lagunita, a jurisdictional wetland on Stanford's campus that houses two federally and state protected species. LUEP also leads departmental trainings on preserving the biological resources found on Stanford lands. In 2016-17, LUEP offered these trainings for Stanford's Department of Public Safety (about 100 people) and all of Stanford's building managers (about 270 people).

Individuals trained in sustainability through all the initiatives listed above comprise 31% of Stanford's population.

Finally, while not sustainability-related per se, Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE) offers its own training program called Stepping Stones to Success, which offers GED and college preparatory level classes in reading, writing, arithmetic, language (English, Spanish, and Mandarin), grammar, and basic computer skills, as well as certificate programs, such as the Workplace Readiness Credential and life skills workshops, which do feature sustainability trainings. These classes are designed for R&DE employees who have language barriers or never received a formal education, in addition to visiting scholars or other employees who may simply want to improve their English or other skills. since the program's inception in 2003, more than 300 R&DE employees have taken classes that in turn help them succeed in the work place. The individuals trained through this program have not been included in the tallies above. A recent Stanford News article on this program can be found here: http://news.stanford.edu/2017/06/12/stepping-stones-success/

Stanford’s STAP program provides reimbursement for tuition, registration fees and required textbooks for any training activity directly related to employees’ jobs or career development efforts. Each employee is eligible for $800 in STAP funds to use throughout the course of each year. Of course, these funds are not required to be used on sustainability topics, but many Stanford professionals use them on Stanford Continuing Studies courses, Center for Professional Development courses, and other classes and certifications related to sustainability. While it is not permitted for STAP funds to cover test fees, they do cover study materials and courses, so Stanford employees can also use STAP funds to earn LEED or other professional accreditations. More information on the STAP program is available at https://cardinalatwork.stanford.edu/learn-grow/tuition-training-assistance/staff-training-assistance-program

Stanford also hosts conferences and symposia through various internal and external sponsors. Internally, the Global Climate and Energy Program holds a symposium each fall, the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center holds the Silicon Valley Energy Summit each spring, and the TomKat Center hosts the Connecting the Dots Summit each April (in 2016, this was hosted in conjunction with the Office of Sustainability's Celebrating Sustainability event).

External conferences related to sustainability are also often held on campus. For instance, Lucid held its 2015 user summit at the Knight Management Center, and SunPower hosted a Renewable Energy Symposium on campus in April 2016, both supported by the Office of Sustainability.