Green Office

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.

Suzanne Zitzer is committed to sustainability! She was one of the driving forces (along with a former colleague) behind getting the College of the Environment Dean's Office certifed as a Green Office back in 2013 and has been focusing on green office practices ever since.

Meetings are a way of life at the University of Washington. Informational meetings, brainstorming sessions, presentations, planning meetings, staff huddles… the list goes on.

Meeting etiquette can be strongly ingrained into your office culture, but some UW offices are transforming the way meetings are conducted – whether it’s reducing paper use or introducing a new video conferencing system to eliminate unnecessary office trips.

What’s in a name? The College of the Environment's name certainly calls to mind sustainability. While the curriculum of the College stretches far beyond that subject, the staff of the College’s Dean’s Office are true sustainability superstars. Currently, the Dean’s Office holds the title of Greenest Office from the Green Office Certification Program in our annual campus-wide competition, with a Gold-level certification of a whopping 99%.

If you're a sustainability-minded UW employee, chances are you've heard of the Green Office Certification program. If you're really lucky, perhaps you already work in a certified office and have the swag to show off your green cred!