47 Green Teams Achieved Workspace Certification for 2019-2020
While physical distancing necessitated the postponement of an on-campus ceremony, 40 percent of all Workspace Certification program participants received digital recognition this year.
The Sustainable Leaders Network (SLN) Workspace Certification Program — a checklist of all the possible actions schools and departments can take at Columbia to support the University's sustainability goals — typically awards certified teams every May at an in-person recognition event. Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, the awards event was postponed indefinitely, and the last few months of the program were abruptly cut short as employees were taken out of their workspaces.
Given these challenges, 47 Green Teams (just shy of 40 percent) still managed to complete and submit their surveys for May 2019 through early 2020 and achieve certification. In lieu of an in-person ceremony, the Office of Sustainability provided each certified team with a turn-key press release and digital web badge to display on their department or school's websites, newsletters, and email signatures. The graphic (above) shows the team's certification level alongside the Sustainable Columbia brand.
The Office of Sustainability reached out to each team to congratulate them on their achievements and thank them for their continued commitment to the program. A list of certified Green Teams can be found on the SLN page of this site.