Rachel SkinnerUK Sustainability and Bluegrass Greensource are excited to recognize the first official cohort of the Sustainable Office Certification (SOC) Program. As a new initiative, the SOC Program’s mission is to advance the creation of more sustainable workplaces through education, encouragement, and reflection.
If you are not familiar with the program, here is a quick overview as to how it works. Each office designates a point person, or Sustainability Ambassador, to coordinate program participation through. The Sustainability Ambassador works with their office towards improving specific initiatives outlined on the program’s scorecard. The scorecard’s initiatives are separated into categories like waste, water, and energy with an associated point value based on effort to achieve that item and the impact it has on advancing sustainability. Based on the amount of points achieved, the office will be awarded one of four potential ranks: bronze, silver, gold, or wildcat.
The SOC program sets out to empower each Sustainability Ambassador with the information needed to successfully complete the scorecard and certify their office. Throughout the process, each ambassador communicates the sustainability priorities and goals with all staff and faculty of their respective office. By the time of certification, the entire office will understand the importance of improving their habits and the effort it takes to achieve change. We are excited to see the continued collective impact made by the program and all participating offices.
The most impactful initiative for us would probably be the mindfulness of paper use (i.e. getting recycling bins, designating a scrap paper location, and reviewing what is recyclable), just because that is the most relevant to our day-to-day.” -Carly Cecil, Urban Forest Initiative
The first-ever cohort during the Fall 2024 semester included 9 certifying offices, throughout different areas of campus. Each of the Sustainability Ambassadors were individually recognized for their pivotal role in the program at the Sustainable Office Certification Program luncheon. Additionally, each participating office was recognized at UK’s Sustainability Showcase held on October 23rd, 2024 where they received a framed certificate to display in their office stating their achievement and program ranking. See below a list of all offices who certified in the Fall 2024 cohort:
Wildcat Paw: 80-100% of available points
- Urban Forest Initiative
Gold Paw: 65-79% of available points
- College of Design Administration
- Design Student Success Advising Office
- Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships
Silver Paw: 50-64% of available points
- The Graduate School
- Education Abroad and Exchanges
- Biology Department Main Office
- Gatton Economics Department
- School of Human and Environmental Science & Family and Consumer Sciences Extension
Congratulations to all certified offices! We are so grateful to all who participated in the inaugural cohort and look forward to continuing this work with new offices in the spring. If your office is interested in participating in the Spring cohort of the Sustainable Office Certification Program, fill out our interest form or visit our website for more information.
