Throughout Sustainability Week, the aim is to engage our community and celebrate the great efforts that are ongoing on campus in support of sustainability initiatives. 

For staff and faculty one of the best ways to get involved with sustainability is to join the Green Office Certification program.

The program is designed to recognize the sustainable practices offices are already doing and to identify further opportunities to create a greener office.  Managed by the Sustainability Office, the certification process uses a series of checklists to assess an office’s green credentials. Points are awarded for each sustainable practice on the checklists and offices are given a certification level based on the number of points they earn: bronze, silver, gold or platinum. Examples of sustainable practices include;

• Setting computers to sleep mode after inactivity
• Starting a staff lounge composting program
• Limiting distribution of printed materials
• Using the Sustainable Procurement Guide for purchasing decisions

“Sustainability is an important priority for Queen’s and the Green Office Certification program provides an opportunity for all of us who work here to help make the university’s daily operations more environmentally friendly,” says Donna Janiec, Vice-Principal (Finance and Administration).

During Sustainability Week and the month of October, any offices that submit a new or renewed certification checklist will be eligible to win a pizza lunch, courtesy of the Sustainability Office. The winning office will be based on any valid submission between Oct.  5 and Oct. 31 that achieves the highest point total.

The Green Office Certification program launched in 2015. The program currently has five certified offices, and several more in the certification process.  More information about the program is available on the Sustainability Office website. Anyone who would like more information or who may be interested in participating in the program can contact Aaron Ball by email or at ext. 33379.