| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 74.85 |
| Liaison | Andrea Trimble |
| Submission Date | Feb. 8, 2024 |
University of Virginia
EN-7: Employee Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.38 / 3.00 |
Dana
Schroeder Sustainability Outreach and Engagement Specialist Office for Sustainability |
Total number of employees:
Total number of employees served by a peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program:
Percentage of employees served by a peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program:
Name of the employee educators program (1st program):
A brief description of the employee educators program (1st program):
The Green Workplace Program engages UVA employees and workplaces in actions that conserve energy, save money, and advance sustainability. The Office for Sustainability orients a core "Green Team" of employees in each workplace and provides resources for implementation of each action. Green Workplace certification includes 30 actions workplaces can implement to be more sustainable. However, many workplace Green Teams stay in touch after initial certification and continue to lead sustainability projects with their peers. Some even go on to form departmental sustainability councils (see "2nd Program" below).
A brief description of the employee educators program’s target audience (1st program):
The Green Workplace Program is designed for any interested employee (faculty or staff) to be able to join or create a Green Team in their space. So far, we have had participation in operational units (over 15 Facilities Management orgs), support units (Cooper Center, Finance, Recreation), business units (Parking & Transportation, Dining), and academic schools and departments (Nursing, Envi Sci), the Alumni Association, Blandy Experimental Farm, and more. The total number of employees working in certified Green Workplaces is estimated to be 2,200.
Number of trained employee educators (1st program):
Number of weeks the employee educators program is active annually (1st program):
Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained employee educator (1st program):
Total number of hours worked annually by trained employee educators (1st program):
Website URL where information about the employee educators program is available (1st program) :
Name of the employee educators program (2nd program):
A brief description of the employee educators program (2nd program):
Multiple departments at UVA have formed departmental councils that work toward sustainability within a certain operational or academic unit. Councils focus primarily on encouraging sustainable behaviors among their colleagues, and they self-organize with help from the Sustainability Office on an as-needed basis.
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL (through Fall 2023): Convened monthly with representatives of the various departments within Facilities. The FMSC mission was to educate and inspire sustainable actions & advance sustainability within operations and practices. The Council tabled at departmental events, created a Sustainability Champions recognition program, coordinated a monthly "stall seat" newsletter with green tips, and much more.
MEDICAL CENTER SUSTAINABILITY WORK GROUP: Meets monthly to plan communication campaigns like the push for recycling awareness and events like the Reusable Office Supply Exchange (ROSE) days at the hospital.
SCHOOL OF NURSING GREEN TEAM: The School of Nursing Green Team has continued to meet regularly like the other departmental councils, and for over three years they have been hosting an annual conference on the intersection of human health and climate change, through which they educate hundreds of their peers.
DARDEN SUSTAINABILITY GROUP: The Darden School of Business sustainability group had made amazing strides toward sustainability, both operationally and in terms of peer education and influence. Darden sustainability leaders created their own sustainability plan and continue to encourage students and employees alike to "live how we learn."
OTHER UNIT-LEVEL PLANNING TEAMS:
Since 2020, over a dozen units at UVA have engaged in unit-level sustainability planning and project implementation. Small groups of passionate people within a unit help set measurable goals and work to implement projects to meet those goals. The earliest groups to complete their plans were Darden, the Miller Center, and the Library system. Groups in progress or achieving plan completion in 2023 included the School of Engineering, the Architecture School, and Facilities Management.
A brief description of the employee educators program’s target audience (2nd program):
Any department is able to organize its own sustainability council, and council or planning teams' efforts usually focus on the engagement of colleagues and the sustainability of operations within the unit's workplaces.
Number of trained employee educators (2nd program):
Number of weeks the employee educators program is active annually (2nd program):
Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained employee educator (2nd program):
Total number of hours worked annually by trained employee educators (2nd program):
Website URL where information about the employee educators program is available (2nd program):
A brief description of all other employee peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs:
GREEN LABS PROGRAM: Because of the immense opportunity to reduce energy, water, and waste, the Green Labs Working Group and the Office for Sustainability have developed a Green Labs program to focus on: 1) Outreach and Action - a Green Lab certification program and associated resources, and 2) Programs and Resources - specialized lab recycling, freezer and other energy efficiency programs, events, and training. There are an incredible number of UVA employees served by the program. Labs can connect with the Green Labs Specialist, who is employed in the Office for Sustainability, to become leaders among their peers.
https://sustainability.virginia.edu/green-labs
SUSTAINABILITY PARTNERS PROGRAM: When they convene for bi-monthly lunch-and-learn events, the Sustainability Partners group provides opportunities for members to: 1) Learn from experts and local sustainability heroes, 2) Share ideas for implementing and maintaining Green Workplace Program actions, 3) Receive updates and discuss current events in Sustainability at UVA, and 4) Build community with like-minded colleagues.
https://sustainability.virginia.edu/faculty-staff
Number of trained employee educators (all other programs):
Number of weeks, on average, the employee educators programs are active annually (all other programs):
Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained employee educator (all other programs):
Total number of hours worked annually by trained employee educators (all other programs):
Grand total number of hours worked annually by trained employee educators (all programs):
Hours worked annually by trained employee sustainability educators per employee served by a peer-to-peer program:
Website URL where information about the employee sustainability educators programs 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.