| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 80.45 |
| Liaison | Tori Grant |
| Submission Date | Dec. 13, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Calgary
EN-7: Employee Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Alex
Howard Coordinator, Sustainability Engagement Office of 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 staff that participate are called Sustainability Coordinators. Currently there are 30 staff participating, and every staff (and faculty) member on campus is welcome to join. Each Sustainability Coordinator has been approved by their manager to spend 2-5 hours per month working on sustainability initiatives. Examples of peer-to-peer events and initiatives include the PowerOFF challenge, the commuter challenge and taking sustainability tours. These activities are combined with orientation and ongoing training workshops to increase the literacy, leadership and network of the Sustainability Coordinators.
A brief description of how the employee educators are selected:
Any employee of the University of Calgary can participate. The program is designed to provide support and education to the staff Sustainability Coordinator so that they can return to their office and share that information with their colleagues. Staff are required to get permission from their supervisor to participate. This is done to ensure the staff Sustainability Coordinators feel comfortable spending time during their day on some sustainability focused tasks and for them to feel supported and encouraged by their manager.
A brief description of the formal training that the employee educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach:
There is an orientation session which runs every year. New and experienced Sustainability Coordinators are asked to come and their managers are also welcome. This training goes through the layout of the program during the academic year. There are lunch and learn programs coordinated throughout the year on focus topics (behaviour change, waste diversion, reducing plastic waste, minimizing toxic substances, etc.) which give coordinators more specific information and tasks to execute around their office to engage their colleagues. The program focuses on small but significant changes they can make in their offices and day-to-day practices to support sustainability. To assist staff and Sustainability Coordinators in expanding their knowledge of sustainability, we create simple exercises for them to perform with their colleagues (for example, a visual waste audit) and teach them ways to leverage these activities into change.
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):
The program is supported through the OS budget for engagement materials. The institution's larger commitment comes from its support of the program though allowing all staff the opportunity to become a Sustainability Coordinator and be approved to spend 2-5 hours/month of their time on advancing sustainability initiatives in their respective academic or administrative units.
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):
A brief description of how the employee educators are selected (2nd program):
A brief description of the formal training that the employee educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (2nd program):
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):
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.