In keeping with our overarching iCAP goals, we place great importance on fostering an enduring culture of sustainability among our students, staff, and faculty members.

To date, the biggest proponents of a sustainability culture are the student groups and RSOs focused on environmental topics. Since the 1969 founding of Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS),[1] passionate students have been our vital environmental pulse. Moving forward, we will continue to support and grow our impressive array of sustainability-affiliated organizations; we will bolster existing events, initiatives, and recruitment efforts through lending our voices, resources, and time. We will also work to facilitate opportunities for networking and collaboration between our many RSOs.

One way to quantify and track our progress toward this objective is through iSEE’s Certified Green Office Program (CGOP). The CGOP is a guided program for academic offices to implement long-term sustainability solutions. By managing the process from start to finish, participating staff and faculty members receive an active education in best practices for maintaining a green office. We aim to expand this initiative by including options for Green RSOs, Green Greek Chapters, and Green Labs. 

The most recent version of the CGOP was launched in spring 2020. The next step is communicating this opportunity to campus units. We plan to increase awareness through branded videos, digital signage, and other marketing materials. Many campus units have already committed to pursuing Green Office certification, and we are proud of their efforts to implement solutions and spread the word to peers and colleagues. To shine a light on the contributions that individual departments are making as a result of their certification, we will disseminate monthly progress reports emphasizing strategies implemented through the CGOP and linking these efforts to the iCAP objectives.

[1] Then called Students for Environmental Controls.