Overview
The Green Office Certification program helps campus offices of any size to become more sustainable workplaces through a three-step certification process. The program is designed to give UW–Madison employees the information and tools they need to learn about sustainability, better understand the impacts of their practices, and create healthy and sustainable work environments.
Join the Green Office program to become part of a campus community where sustainability is meaningful and widespread!
The Green Office Process
What does a green office look like? Some ideas may spring to mind quickly: turning off lights, recycling, and using less paper—and these are a good start! But sustainability encompasses much more, from purchasing choices to employee health and wellness.
The Green Office Certification consists of four levels. For each level of certification, participating offices receive an educational presentation from the Green Office team, a checklist of action items to complete, and a two-week check in to discuss their progress and move forward.
Offices can take a step above and beyond at each level to achieve Platinum level certification. The Office of Sustainability is available as a resource throughout these steps.
These certification steps won’t take up much of your office’s time, but can have meaningful and lasting impacts on our campus and community. The average certification process requires three 30-minute meetings over the course of 3 months, but can be adapted to your office’s needs. Begin your journey through certification now!
Bronze
Waste and Recycling Streams
Silver
Energy and Water Savings
Gold
Sustainable Purchasing
Platinum
Complete Additional Steps at Each Level
How to get started
Contact us
Contact our Green Office Team to schedule an initial overview presentation. The OS interns will visit your office to give a short presentation (around 15 minutes) about the Green Office Program, how it might work for your staff, and why it is important for our campus community. We’ll then invite you to designate a Green Officer to lead your office through the certification process.
Get Educated
The Green Office team will present to your entire office about sustainable practices and what sustainability looks like on our campus, beginning with the Bronze Level. They will give a short but comprehensive overview of how recycling works on campus and will answer questions you might have about office recycling.
Take Action
For each level, complete the action items on your checklist to make your office a more sustainable workplace. If you’re hoping to achieve Platinum certification, complete extra action items during each level.
Move Forward
The Green Office team will check in after two weeks to go over your progress and answer any questions you may have. Typically, offices move on to the Silver Level after four weeks.
To learn more or join the program, read on or contact our staff at greenoffice@g-groups.wisc.edu.
Certified Offices
Department of Biochemistry Office (Room 111) – January 2020
Grainger Hall Facilities (Rm. 1411) – April 2020
UW–Madison Arboretum Visitor Center (1207 Seminole Highway) – August 2020
Physical Therapy Program (Medical Sciences Center, Rm. 5185) – September 2020
Communication Sciences and Disorders/Aquatic Sciences (Goodnight Hall) – September 2021
Office of Sustainability (21 North Park St., Suite 6401) – January 2023
Morgridge Center for Public Service (Red Gym, Suite 154) – February 2023
CALS Office of Academic Affairs – August 2023
Department of Economics Office (Sewell Social Science Building, Rm. 7239) – May 2019
Medical Scientist Training Program (Health Science Learning Center, Rm. 2207) – January 2020
Department of Sociology Office (Sewell Social Science Building, Rm. 8128) – April 2020
Discovery to Product (1403 University Ave) – July 2019
Department of Political Science Office (North Hall, Rm. 110) – March 2019
College Library – November 2019
International Academic Programs (Study Abroad) (Red Gym, Rm. 301) – February 2020
International Studies Office (Ingraham Hall) – December 2021
Multicultural Student Center (Red Gym, 2nd floor) – May 2019
Office of Compliance (361 Bascom Hall) – March 2020
Student Print Office (333 East Campus Mall, Ste. 3301) – May 2020
UW Makerspace (Wendt Commons Main Floor, Second Level, 215 N Randall Ave) – March 2021
The Daily Cardinal – May 2019
WSUM 91.7 FM – May 2019
Office of Academic Planning and Research – June 2019
Department of Geography Office – June 2019
Dean of Students Office – July 2019
Office of Student Financial Aid – November 2019
Department of Horticulture Office – September 2019
CALS Business Services – April 2022
CALS IT – March 2022
CALS Global – April 2022
CALS Human Resources – March 2022
CALS Research – April 2022
Employee Assistance Office (Lowell Center) – January 2022
BioChemistry, 433 Babcock Drive
- Compost Steward: Morgan Wendt
Campus Planning and Landscape Architecture, 30 N Mills
- Compost Steward: Bryn Scriver
Career Exploration Center (CEC), 114 Ingraham Hall
- Compost Steward: Claire Peters
Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, 1535 Observatory Drive
- Compost Steward: Sadie Dougherty
Discovery 2 Product (D2P), 1403 University Avenue
- Compost Steward: Jesse Lynch
Economics Advising Department, Sewell Social Sciences Building
- Compost Steward: Elizabeth Foste
Educational Sciences, 1025 W Johnson Street
- Compost Steward: Danielle Maillette
Environment, Health and Safety (EHS), 30 East Campus Mall
- Compost Steward: Bindu Timilsina, Louise Meske, Stacey Lam
Grainger Hall, 975 University Avenue
- Compost Steward: Jim Franzone & Tim Bent Jr.
Goodnight Hall, 1975 Willow Dr, Madison, WI 53706
- Compost Steward: Michael Block
Horticulture Department, 1575 Linden Drive
- Compost Steward: Thomas Frank and Christy Stewart
International Academics Program, 716 Langdon Street #301
- Compost Steward: Matt Geisler
Medical Scientists Training Program, Health Science Learning Center
- Compost Steward: Nichole Monzon
Microbial Sciences Building, 1550 Linden Drive
- Compost Steward: Lauren Lucas
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, Science Hall
- Compost Steward: Lynn West
Office of Compliance, 361 Bascom Hall
- Compost Steward: Claire Allen, Jaimee Gilford
Physical Therapy, 1300 University Avenue
- Compost Steward: Julia Schlosser
Primate Center (WNPRC), 1220 Capitol Court
- Compost Steward: Meghan Cramm
Student Print, 333 East Campus Mall Suite 3301
- Compost Steward: Student Print Sustainability Team
Sociology Department, Sewell Social Sciences Building
- Compost Steward: Erin Skaridova
Wisconsin Energy Institute, 1552 University Avenue
- Compost Steward: Allison Bender
Resources
Green Office Resources
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Green Office FAQs
Below, we’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions about our Green Office program and certification. If you have further questions, please reach out to greenoffice@g-groups.wisc.edu.
Green Office Program Questions
What are the benefits to certification?
- When your office gets certified, you will join a growing campus community of sustainability-minded offices that use the program to think critically about their work environments and take small but meaningful actions to help UW–Madison meet our sustainability goals.
How can we incorporate composting into our office?
- Here’s a link to more information about our Compost Stewards Program.
How long does it take to complete all three levels of the program?
- Our program is set up to meet your schedule. We typically recommend offices complete the three levels of certification within a year, but you are welcome to take as much or as little time as you need.
What if our office is mostly or all part-time staff?
- Many of our Green Teams involve one or more part-time or student staff members. Generally, we find this does not prevent teams from finding enough time and interest to participate in the program. If it becomes an issue for your office, please make us aware and we will work with you to figure out how your participation can continue.
Can we still get involved with the Green Office program during COVID-19?
- Yes! We would love to continue working with you and your office. To ensure everyone’s safety, we will conduct all meetings virtually.
General Sustainability Questions
What’s the best way to clean a peanut butter jar before recycling it?
- When recycling an item, you should make sure the item is more clean than dirty. To avoid using large amounts of soap and water, you can clean out peanut butter jars with a paper towel, a rubber spatula, or simply let your dog lick it out for you! (Sources: Napa Recycling and New York Times)
Does washing dishes by hand or in the dishwasher require less water?
- A fully loaded dishwasher is more water efficient than hand washing. (Source: NPR)d