Published May 16, 2012
by afdubreu
The following appeared in the Wednesday, May 16, 2012 edition of YFile.
Offices across York University are turning green.
The Green Office Program is a new initiative that is designed to help offices at York incorporate a variety of sustainable practices into day-to-day operations and recognize those offices already doing so.
“I am proud that offices at York University are adopting the Green Office Program,” says York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “This commitment will help us maintain our high standard as responsible stewards of the environment for future generations.”
The program focuses on dozens of actions in key areas such as waste, energy, transportation, purchasing and “change”, and provides guidance on how to make sustainable choices that contribute to achieving York’s overall sustainability goals. The checklist also allows offices to gauge how they are doing on sustainability, and to determine what areas they can improve upon.
“The Green Office Program is a natural extension of sustainability programs like ZeroWaste,” said Helen Psathas, York’s senior manager of environmental design and sustainability. “There are many ways for the community to contribute to sustainability at York by doing simple things each and every day, and we hope that many offices participate in this program to help us meet our sustainability targets.”
Office tri-bins are used to separate items that can be recycled from garbage
The interactive checklist includes many links with tips and resources on energy conservation, instructions on recycling and composting, green purchasing suggestions and a wide variety of other information that will enable faculty, staff and students to learn more about how they can contribute to York’s success as a leader on sustainability in Canada.
Participating in the Green Office Program is easy. Simply visit the Sustainability website and click on the Green Office button to download a copy of the checklist. Complete the checklist with other members of your office and submit for review. All offices that receive a minimum score will be certified and recognized as a Green Office.
“What we like about the Green Office Program is that many resources on sustainability can be found in one place,” said Glenn Craney, executive director, Office of Institutional Research & Analysis, and one of the first offices to sign up for the program. “Sustainability can be a complex issue, and it can also seem like someone else’s responsibility. We appreciate the way that this program makes it easier for us to do our part.”
For more information on the Green Office Program and other sustainability initiatives at York, visit the Sustainability website, or contact Andrew Plunkett, sustainability project coordinator, at aplunket@yorku.ca, or Pavel Graymason, sustainability engagement coordinator, at pavel@york.ca.
