The clouds parted June 3 following a rainy Tuesday as a group of George Washington University Green Office Certification leaders took up spades, trowels and soil buckets for an afternoon volunteering at the Foggy Bottom Campus GroW Garden.
The experience added a new dimension to the “green leaders” work during the group’s first year in existence to encourage sustainable practices in their individual offices.
Their efforts include stocking reusable kitchenware in offices, posting recycling signs over bins in staff common areas, encouraging co-workers to use public transportation and conserving energy by turning off electronics at the end of each workday.
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| GW junior and GroW Garden representative Kayla Williams works with GWPD Lt. David Heffer and Sustainability Graduate Intern Sidra Kalsoom to pull weeds in the GroW Garden. (Rob Stewart/GW Today) |
“Green leaders meet regularly to exchange best practices and learn from university experts,” said Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator Shannon Ross. “We encourage every office in the university to sign up for the certification and join our network of Green Leaders to help drive sustainable behavior change that supports GW’s Ecosystems Enhancement Strategy.”
GW’s Office of Sustainability partnered with the Zero Waste team and the Environmental and Energy Management office to launch the Green Office Certification program in July 2014 as an extension of the Green Office Network, a university initiative to improve sustainability on an individual and office level.
The program has grown to include 38 certified offices. Five officess are training for certification. GW staff or faculty members interested in the program can sign up online.
Robin Kuprewicz, Department Operations supervisor at the GW School of Business Office of Undergraduate Programs and Advising Center, was among the initial nine green leaders who led their offices in earning a certification last summer.
She saw the Green Office Certification program as an opportunity to join with her colleagues in actively supporting GW’s sustainability goals.
“You have to make a choice to go green,” Ms. Kuprewicz said. “For example, we realized that our office was going through around 500 sheets of paper used for cover sheets in a very short amount of time, so I showed my colleagues how to turn off their cover sheets so they only print the pages that they need.
“Having a tangible measurement of waste and savings definitely helps people understand the importance of being a green office,” she added.
In the last year, her office stopped purchasing disposable kitchen products. She encouraged staff members to use reusable silverware, dishes and cups. The staff also committed to recycling plastic bags and batteries and ensured that 30 percent of all paper that is purchased is recycled, she said.
“Through the Green Office Certification program, we have learned about all the ways GW is working to go green on a large scale, including the Capital Partners Solar Project and composting at J-Street,” Ms. Kuprewicz said. “We have also learned how the little things we do every day can help the university achieve its goals. I would love to see more offices participate, so that we can really build a green community at GW.”
Green leaders left their offices to lend a hand at the GroW Garden this month. The student-run plot on H Street boasts a diverse summer crop including eggplant, tomatillos, watermelon, corn, beans, squash, assorted peppers, lettuce and tomatoes.
“Our goal is to bridge the gap between people and their food,” said GW junior and GroW Garden representative Kayla Williams. “The garden has existed for about five years and each year it gets stronger and a little bigger.”
Ms. Williams said that the purpose of the garden is to provide healthy and accessible food to those in need through a partnership with Miriam's Kitchen. The garden also provides produce to the Freshfarm Markets Community-Supported Agriculture program (CSA). The CSA offers produce every Wednesday at the farmers market located on the Eye Street Mall at the Foggy Bottom Campus.
“The garden also serves as a classroom for students, staff and faculty to get their hands dirty and understand what it means to grow their own food,” Ms. Williams said. “It's not official, but I like to think our motto is something along the lines of ‘produce with a purpose.’"
Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to volunteer at the GroW Garden from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Sundays. Other volunteer times are available.Those who are interested can fill out a form online.
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| Sustainability Graduate Intern Sidra Kalsoom holds a bunch of Common Purselane that she gathered from the GroW Garden. The edible greens were donated to Miriam’s Kitchen. (Rob Stewart/GW Today) |