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Green Workplace Certification

Engaging staff, faculty, and students in making our campus a little more sustainable.

The Green Workplace

What does it look like to have a green workplace? Some ideas may come to mind: recycling, conserving energy and water, using less paper. These are a good start, but sustainability encompasses much more from purchasing choices to employee health and wellness. Campus workplaces that choose to experience the Green Workplace Certification process prioritize eco-friendly practices in their everyday work.

An Illinois State University Green Workplace means the members of a workplace:

  • work together to maintain an eco-friendly workplace
  • enact best practices with recycling and waste management
  • are responsible with their energy and water consumption
  • purchase environmentally safe and ethically sourced products
  • utilize sustainable modes of transportation
  • consider how they can contribute to the sustainability of their community through personal wellness and community engagement

View the complete Green Workplace Certification Guide.

Getting Started

The Green Workplace Certification consists of steps that help your campus office assess sustainability initiatives. These initatives can further sustainability goals of Illinois State University as well as encourage faculty, staff, and students to continue eco-friendly practices at home, too.

  1. Make sure to review the full certification guide before submitting the workplace Intent to Apply Form.
  2. Once the Intent to Apply Form is completed, staff from the Office of Sustainability will meet with the workplace representatives to explore resources and discuss how to complete your formal report.
  3. Collaborate with members of the workplace to compile and submit the Green Workplace Report.

Why become Green Workplace Certified?

You have the power to help reduce the environmental impact our campus has on the planet. Small actions can make a big difference when we work collectively. By becoming Green Workplace Certified, you help our campus achieve goals set out by the Sustainability Strategic Plan and realize the vision and values of our campus strategic plan.

Certified Green Workplaces receive:

  • digital Green Workplace Certified badge to put on your website
  • a printed badge to display at your physical workplace
  • recognition on the Office of Sustainability website and social media
  • opportunities to serve as an exemplar for other workplaces seeking certification

Green Workplace Application

The Green Workplace Certification is comprised of 50 “green” tasks within six categories. At least 30 tasks must be completed to achieve the certification. All task items in the Required category must be completed and at least one task for each of the other five categories must be completed. An artifact, such as a photo or document, is required to show achievement of most tasks. View the entire Green Workplace Certification Guide for complete details. A description of each category is provided below.

Required

All tasks within this category must be completed.

Recycling and Waste Management

Items within this category emphasize the ways the office encourages members to interact with waste including what they choose to bring into an office and how it is disposed of. Traditional advice of waste management has been to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reducing the waste we produce and choosing reusable items are the most important ways office members can manage waste. Other ways to divert waste from the landfill is composting and recycling. Educating office members on proper protocols and encouraging these practices is also included within this category.

Energy and Water Consumption

While office members may not be able to control all the energy and water used in their workplace, there are several small things that members can do to conserve energy and water. The items within the category include suggestions for workplace standards in common areas and individual workspaces to encourage energy and water conservation.

Purchasing

The products we purchase have an environmental and social footprint, so it is important to purchase responsibly and sustainably. The items within this category emphasize purchasing environmentally safe products, recycled products, and products that are sustainably and ethically sourced. When purchasing anything consider if an option that is reusable, resale/reused, recycled, rechargeable, durable, and/or energy efficient.

Transportation

A Green Workplace should emphasize more sustainable modes of transportation for its members. The items in this category encourage alternative transportation options for office members and work to educate office members about the importance of alternative transportation.

Redbird and Community Engagement

Sustainability is often only thought about as it relates to the environment or “saving the planet;” however, sustainability also incorporates the health and well-being of the people and communities that reside on the planet. As such, items within this category emphasize the ways a workplace considers the person/social dimension of sustainability and takes care of its members.