| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 75.93 |
| Liaison | Merry Rankin |
| Submission Date | Aug. 30, 2013 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Iowa State University
PAE-15: Employee Sustainability Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.00 / 5.00 |
Merry
Rankin ISU Director of Sustainability Facilities Planning & Management |
Total number of people employed by the institution:
Program name (1st program) :
Number of employees served by the program (1st program):
A brief description of how the employee educators are selected (1st program):
The ISU Purchasing Department delegates purchasing authority to departments, which, in turn, select their employees to make purchases on the departments’ behalf. Employees with this authority are recommended to take this training before spending departmental funds.
A brief description of the formal training that the employee educators receive (1st program):
The Procurement Process Certification Training includes a session on green procurement. This covers Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Guidelines, reducing unnecessary waste, purchasing recycled content products, and ways that energy and water savings can be realized through purchasing. In addition, educators learn how to minimize the use of toxins and the generation of pollution by purchasing degradable products, and how to use environmentally preferable paper and wood products. Educators are also taught about various key terms in green procurement, including Energy Star products, life cycle analysis, post-consumer content, and recyclable versus reusable products. After the training, employees can share this knowledge with other coworkers who can purchase within their respective departments.
Date Revised: June 26, 2014
A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (1st program):
The program is sponsored by the Iowa State University Purchasing department, which provides staff for the training. Training materials are also given to the educators on the Purchasing department's behalf.
Date Revised: June 26, 2014
The website URL where information about the program is available (1st program):
Program name (2nd program):
Number of employees served by the program (2nd program):
A brief description of how the employee educators are selected (2nd program):
Green Teams are groups of faculty, staff, and students who have voluntarily come together with the goal of furthering sustainability practices, policies, behavior, and opportunities at Iowa State University. These teams have organized in conjunction with various alliances representing specific buildings, colleges, departments, and functional areas across campus.
A brief description of the formal training that the employee educators receive (2nd program):
Green teams collaborate with each other on green initiatives for a particular building or department, which then allows members to reach out to others in the organization and spread sustainable ideas. Teams gather and discuss information during meetings, allowing educators to become knowledgeable in sustainability-related issues and opportunities within each team's area.
A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (2nd program):
Green Teams work closely with Iowa State University's Director of Sustainability, and receive institution resources through the Live Green! Initiative. Additionally, meeting space is provided for green team meetings, which occur quarterly on a formal basis.
The website URL where information about the program is available (2nd program):
Program name(s) (all other programs):
Date Revised: June 26, 2014
Number of employees served by the program(s) (all other programs):
A brief description of how the employee educators are selected (all other programs):
The Iowa State University Symposium on Sustainability is open to all employees to attend. Therefore, selection does not occur on a formal basis.
This Tall Grass Prairie Project selects up to 20 faculty members to participate in yearly workshops. In order to participate, faculty participants must be committed to integrating one or more sustainability components into their course(s).
A brief description of the formal training that the employee educators receive (all other programs):
The Symposium on Sustainability consists of various lectures, poster sessions, and workshops that allow participants to learn about a broad range of sustainability topics to then share with their peers. The Symposium has typically been held over the course of one or several days, and is an opportunity to not only learn from formal speakers or organizers, but also a chance to network with other attendees and learn about successes and issues in other departments.
The Tall Grass Prairie Project’s first workshop took place in May 2012 with a group of 16 attendees and was led by Dr. James Farrell from St. Olaf’s College. After the participants worked in the summer at revising their syllabi, the participants gathered again for an exchange of ideas and plans.
A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program(s) (all other programs):
Staff members in the Office of Sustainability organize the Symposium on Sustainability. The university also provides faculty speakers, funds for outside speakers, meeting space, and prizes for attendees.
The Office of the Provost and the Colleges of participating faculty fund the Tall Grass Prairie project. This program is also affiliated with the Live Green! Initiative, and receives support from Iowa State University’s Director of Sustainability.
The website URL where information about the program(s) is available (all other programs):
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The number of employees served by Green Teams was calculated based on the number of employees in the Iowa State University Colleges that have green teams.
The Iowa State University Symposium on Sustainability serves all employees, as all are welcome to attend. The Tall Grass Prairie Project targets education among faculty members, which include 1,845 employees.
Iowa State University Symposium on Sustainability:
http://www.livegreen.iastate.edu/symposium/2013/
The number of employees served by Green Teams was calculated based on the number of employees in the Iowa State University Colleges that have green teams.
The Iowa State University Symposium on Sustainability serves all employees, as all are welcome to attend. The Tall Grass Prairie Project targets education among faculty members, which include 1,845 employees.
Iowa State University Symposium on Sustainability:
http://www.livegreen.iastate.edu/symposium/2013/
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.