Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 60.83
Liaison Parker Long
Submission Date March 2, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Virginia Commonwealth University
EN-7: Employee Educators Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.34 / 3.00 Joseph Costa
Sustainability Projects and Program Coordinator
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total number of employees (staff + faculty, headcount):
11,611

Number of employees served (i.e. directly targeted) by a peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program (avoid double-counting):
1,300

Percentage of employees served by a peer-to-peer educator program:
11.20

Name of the employee educators program:
GROW

Number of employees served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (headcount):
1,100

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities:

The purpose of the GROW program is to help offices become more sustainable and help VCU reduce its carbon footprint. Representatives from the Office of Sustainability approach different offices and departments for an office education program that teaches employees how to work and behave sustainably in their office space. Additionally, our educators use this as an opportunity to educate employees on the other sustainability initiatives around campus.


A brief description of how the employee educators are selected:

A representative from the office of Sustainability approaches an individual from a department or office, generally an office manager. After meeting with the office manager, if the office wishes to continue with the program, a "employee educator", or sustainability liaison from the office will be selected. This person will serve as the conduit between the Office of Sustainability and the department in question for the duration of the GROW process.


A brief description of the formal training that the employee educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach:

Together, a member from the Office of Sustainability, and the sustainability liaison go over the framework of the GROW program. From there, the sustainability liaison or "employee educator" reaches out to the rest of his office to explain the process. 75% of the office must sign on to the GROW program to become certified.


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 Office of Sustainability staff serves as constant support staff for the employee educators on campus. The individual offices may choose to support the GROW program with their own budgets, however GROW operates largely without a budget.


Name of the employee educators program (2nd program):
Eco Nurses

Number of employees served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (headcount) (2nd program):
200

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):

The group's name is currently Eco-Sustainability and encompasses lab techs, MDs, Nurses, NP’s and now leadership.

This diverse group of staff is dedicated to promoting sustainable practices within the healthcare institution through education, and advocacy.

In addition to currently pursuing the Green Health Self Assessment, the Eco-Sustainability group holds outreach events to promote sustainability in healthcare.


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

Employee Educators are self selected, and recruited/volunteered by their peers and mentors. Initially an advisory board, the group has expanded to increase outreach and increase sustainability in healthcare education.


A brief description of the formal training that the employee educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (2nd program):

Monthly meetings guide which areas are of immediate focus. Between meetings the group communicates regularly to track the progress of both sustainability reporting and outreach.


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):

There is no direct financial support provided to this group, however the Office of Sustainability works as their support staff, providing whatever resources we have available to further their goals.


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:

NA


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:
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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.