Green Offices
This section highlights the elective policies and procedures adopted at the division, department, or office level that focus on sustainability. The Office of Sustainability considers these units models for how staff can take leadership in greening their operations.
Division of Student Affairs
Departments and offices within the Division of Student Affairs were among the first to institute environmental guidelines and the entire division has a strong sustainability ethic. The Division takes a sustainability perspective regarding all services, products, and operations and focuses on reducing the consumption of nonrenewable resources, reducing waste, and enhancing the quality of life for members of the campus community.
The Division’s Sustainability Plan provides a cohesive mindset and common operational initiatives to intentionally promote the individual and organizational behavior changes essential to making campus a better place to live and work and a better part of the larger community. The Plan calls for a sustainability coordinator in each department, purchasing office supplies made from recycled content, buying local, considering "zero-emissions" vehicles, and much more.
Every unit within the Division is engaged in implementing the Sustainability Plan and staff members are challenged to use their creativity and collaboration skills to continually inspire their colleagues and students to be more sustainable. The Division will help lead the campus in becoming a more sustainable institution and will be an inspiration among student affairs divisions across the country.
Orientation Office
Since 2008, the Orientation Office made great strides to infuse sustainability into the New Student Orientation Program. Their sustainability initiatives ranged from the sensible to the zany and, most importantly, the Orientation Office explained the environmental benefits of each initiative so that all new students learn that environmental stewardship is part of the culture of the University of Maryland.
Composting
To address the food waste generated from meals during previous summers, the Orientation Office coordinated with the Department of Dining Services to collect waste for compost during orientation dinners. Using well-labeled bins for compost, recycling, and trash, many new students learned to separate their waste in a new way. The Orientation Office also worked with the caterer to replace polystyrene plates with compostable paper plates.
Virtual Folder
The Orientation Office also saved roughly 300,000 sheets of paper over the summer by creating an online Virtual Folder that has all the fliers and resources students typically receive during the Orientation Program. Even the new student gift was selected with sustainability in mind. All new students received a backpack that they will hopefully use throughout their time on campus.
Sustainability Skit
To drive home that sustainability is an important part of campus life, the student Orientation Advisors created a high-energy and entertaining skit about adopting sustainable behaviors as Maryland students. The skit encouraged students to turn off lights and electronic devices when they leave their rooms, to recycle overwhelmingly long term papers, and to dine-in at the dining hall instead of using disposable take-out containers.