Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.06
Liaison Andrea Trimble
Submission Date May 29, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Virginia
EN-6: Employee Educators Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.93 / 3.00 Nina Morris
Sustainability Outreach Coordinator
Energy & Utilities
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution administer or oversee an ongoing faculty/staff peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program that meets the criteria for this credit?:
Yes

Total number of employees:
14,302

Name of the employee educators program (1st program) :
Green Workplace Program

Number of employees served by the program (1st program):
5,470

A brief description of how the employee educators are selected (1st program):

Green Workplace Leaders may be selected by workplace managers or may nominate themselves as leaders in the program. Green Team members are volunteers that are organized based on their workplace team and usually recruited by the Green Team Leaders. The GWP is available to all Academic employees, except for those who work in labs.


A brief description of the formal training that the employee educators receive (1st program):

Green Workplace Leaders attend an information session on the Green Workplace Program, and office certification program with a 60-item checklist of sustainable actions. During the training they also become familiar with resources available to them, including the program guide and website. The leaders are given instructions on forming a Green Team and how to document credits


A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (1st program):

A staff member from the Office for Sustainability coordinates the program and delivers formal training to Green Workplace Program Leaders and Green Teams.


The website URL where information about the program is available (1st program):
Name of the employee educators program (2nd program):
University of Virginia Health System Sustainability Program

Number of employees served by the program (2nd program):
8,133

A brief description of how the employee educators are selected (2nd program):

The Medical Center’s Sustainability Workgroup sponsors events to provide information on sustainability and conservation. Unused office supplies are also collected for the Reusable Office Supply Exchange (ROSE) program.

In 2014 the Medical Center Sustainability Workgroup began to seek ways to engage employees in sustainability efforts beyond recycling. They found that those who are passionate about sustainability would already practice it at home and at work. Therefore, they shifted their focus to employees who were ambivalent. They devised a strategy to show employees that sustainability was good, not just for the environment, but for their budget. We started our monthly ROSE activity and added a monthly feature. The first initiative related to water conservation. They gave away shower timers, rebate forms for low flow toilets, and rain barrels. During Hospital Week in May 2014, they provided information about composting at home and gave out seeds. At the Fall Sustainability Fair in October 2014, they gave out information on winterizing cars and homes, winter landscaping tips, safe holiday lighting using energy efficient bulbs, etc. Prizes for participating in their activities included a winter car safety kit, energy efficient light bulbs, gift cards for home winterizing projects, and so forth.


A brief description of the formal training that the employee educators receive (2nd program):

Training is conducted within the Medical Center Sustainability Workgroup.


A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (2nd program):

The program is supported through the Environment of Care office in the UVA Health System


The website URL where information about the program is available (2nd program):
Name(s) of the employee educator program(s) (all other programs):
UVA Dining Green Team

Number of employees served by all other programs:
350

A brief description of how the employee educators are selected (all other programs):

Employee educators are nominated by their managers to become a Green Team representative for their dining location.


A brief description of the formal training that the employee educators receive (all other programs):

UVA Dining's Sustainability Coordinator chairs the Green Team, develops training materials, and performs site visits to provide support for sustainability initiatives.


A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program(s) (all other programs):

UVA Dining's Sustainability Coordinator chairs the Green Team, develops training materials, and performs site visits to provide support for sustainability initiatives.


The website URL where information about the program(s) is available (all other programs):
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.