University of Cincinnati
IN-1: Innovation 1

Environmental Literacy Certificate for Staff Members In 2012, the University of Cincinnati launched the Environmental Literacy Certificate of Achievement (ELCA) program for university staff members. The ELCA offers an introduction to a broad spectrum of environmental topics in order to foster environmental literacy in ways that spur critical thinking skills and creativity. This furthers the University’s goal to change the culture on campus to be more aware of the environment. The structure of the staff ELCA program consists of monthly meetings for a defined class of participants over the course of an academic year. During each meeting a guest presenter discusses an assigned topic. Topics include: waste, food, soil and landscape, water, energy, transportation, population, ecological principles, chemicals, and consumption. Each session includes hands-on activities and focuses on understanding how individual decisions affect the environment at local and global scales. Staff members from a particular department or group are invited to participate in the year long course together. In July 2013 the first class of participants from the housekeeping supervisory staff completed their Environmental Literacy Certificate of Achievement. Participants received a certificate of achievement signed by the University President at a ceremony presided over by the Senior Vice President for Administration & Finance. As the program continues, staff members from different departments and classifications will be invited to participate each year. The 2014 class will be drawn from the executive assistant and administrators group.

The Environmental Literacy Course for staff won a Green Business Award in 2013 from the Business Courier.