Green Certifications

Are you committed to being "green" in your office? Are you the person who always turns off the lights in the conference room after people have used it? How about the one who goes through the trash and sifts out the compost and recycle? OK, you probably don’t take it that far. But if you find yourself thinking about small ways to reduce your environmental impact in your office you should take the initiative to certify your workplace as a Green Office and you can become a Paper Reduction Pro!

Hello! I’m Caroline Beightol. I came to Seattle three years ago from my much smaller hometown of Santa Barbara, CA. When I get time away from school, I like to get outdoors, road trip, and dabble in food tourism.

As a third-year Urban Planning student, I focus on the sustainable and ethical design of places, so I am thrilled to have gotten involved with UW Sustainability. As the new Green Office Certification Coordinator, I look forward to encouraging different groups on campus to think and act in more environmentally-conscious ways.

The Green Office Certification Program encourages and recognizes environmentally-friendly behavior in UW office spaces. It also exists to facilitate sharing of best practices between offices. The main goal of the program, however, is to simply get office members thinking more frequently about their environmental impact.

The Green Office Certification Program encourages and recognizes environmentally-friendly behavior in UW office spaces. It also exists to facilitate sharing of best practices between offices. The main goal of the program, however, is to simply get office members thinking more frequently about their environmental impact.

Shout out to Schindler-Limnology Lab, Berg Lab, Shendure Lab, Keil Lab, and Olmstead Lab for becoming our newest certified Green Labs!

The Schindler-Limnology Lab placed at the Gold level of certification, scoring highest in the communication and education category. With about six staff and graduate students, the lab does research on water quality, fish biology, nutrient cycling, and all things inland water.

UW Organizational Excellence is hosting a Showcase on March 8 from 1-3 p.m. in the HUB Lyceum, featuring work from departments across the UW. This event will showcase how schools, colleges, and administrative units are making the UW better – together. UW Sustainability is excited to be there as a presenter and to see the outstanding work from other areas of the university.

The first rebates for labs which have purchased Stirling Ultra Low Freezers rebates have arrived.

Last week, I was part of UW Sustainability's team at the first UW Safety, Sustainability, and Preparedness Expo, letting UW community members know about our Green Certification prgrams for offices and labs on campus. 

EcoReps is continuing its Green Greek Representatives blog segment with Danny Maier from the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, who wrote a piece on his chapter’s new Sustainability Chairman position:

Recently, my fraternity made a huge stride in going green by adopting a new house position called the 'Sustainability Chair.' Serving on this chair requires you to fulfill 5 major duties. These duties are as follows:

The Green Office Certification Program encourages everyone at the University of Washington to help make their workplace sustainable. One of the areas of emphasis in the certification form is energy conservation, and it's also an area where many offices have room for improvement.

Below are a few tips on how your office can take easy steps to reduce energy use. For more ideas, see our Green Office Resources page or email us at sustainability@uw.edu.