Green Office Certification
Would your office like to become a leader in environmental sustainability at BGSU? Well, now is your chance with the BGSU Green Office Certification (GOC) program!
The Green Office Certification program encourages departments and offices to engage in environmentally sustainable actions within their office. These actions are all aimed at decreasing our environmental footprint and being at the forefront of environmental progress as a campus. There is a checklist of items for your office to do and, if completed, your office will receive Green Certification.
FAQ
Can any office become GOC?
Yes! As long as your office meets GOC requirements, any office can apply and become certified.
How many offices on BG are GOC?
So far, as of July 2023, there are 17 Green Certified Offices throughout Bowling Green's campus. View our recent list of Green Offices below.
How can my office become certified?
First fill out the request form below, then once contacted by Campus Sustainability you can start the process to becoming a Green Office! It's that simple!
Green Office Materials
Office of the President
September 2023: The Office of the President was just awarded the Green Office Certificate in September of 2023. The office continued their commitment to sustainability by re-certifying in October 2019, January 2017, and June 2015. It was the first Green Certified Office back in October 2013!
Center for Women and Gender Equity
April 2023: With a mission of ensuring that women maintain equal & just opportunities, the staff of the Center for Women and Gender Equity decided to take steps to be more sustainable in their every day actions. The United Nations reports that women across the world are disproportionately affected by a changing climate due to unequal access to resources & decision-making processes. By reducing their environmental impact here at home, they're reducing the strain on resources in developing nations with less protections for women, who are often the ones responsible for gathering necessary resources such as food & water. The center has continued to show their commitment to sustainability by renewing their certification previously in November 2014, and March 2017.
November 2022: Joining the list of Green Certified Offices is the Tucker Center for Telecommunications, which is located off-campus. The home of the WBGU-TV station is also the home of an environmentally-friendly office! They do especially well to lower their carbon footprint in the categories of paper reduction, being mindful of energy use of lights and office equipment, recycling properly, and eliminating their use of Styrofoam. Sometimes, they even bring in homegrown garden vegetables to share! The Tucker Center first completed the certification process in April 2014, and was re-certified July 2015, in February 2017, and most recently in November 2022.
Browne Popular Culture Library
November 2022: The Browne Popular Culture Library has the most comprehensive collection of Popular Culture items in the United States! Their mission is to preserve American Popular Culture Materials for curricular and research use. They have also made it a mission to make their office more sustainable by pursuing and earning the Green Office Certification. The Browne Popular Culture Library was the first library on campus to receive the Green Office Certificate in January of 2020! The BPCL is still serious about sustainability and achieved re-certification in November 2022.
Office of Finance and Administration
January 2020: The Office of Finance and Administration was most recently re-certified in January 2020. They have continued to show their commitment to sustainability by completing their re-certification application in February 2017, and August 2015. The Office of Finance and Administration first became Green Office Certified in July 2014. They were the 6th office overall to receive the certificate since the program’s inception.
School of Earth, Environment, and Society
January 2020: The school of School of Earth, Environment and Society was most recently Green Office Certified in January 2020. Being the hub of the Environmental, Geology, and Geography majors, it was only natural that SEES would make the step to be Green Office Certified. The academic office has since been re-certified in April 2017, January 2016, May 2014, in their former location in Memorial Hall.
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Undergraduate Student Government (USG)
March 2023: Undergraduate Student Government worked hard to re-certify their office space in Room 404 of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union. In addition to practicing many of the Green Office action items, they also pledged that USG would be working on a new or ongoing sustainable initiative at BGSU each semester, sharing Campus Sustainability social media posts, and they even got creative and made their own recycling reminder signage in their office. Fun fact: USG was the first student coordinated office to be Green Certified way back in 2013.
BGSU Recreation Center
November 2022: The Student Recreation Center became Green Office Certified in November of 2022, the first new recipients of the certificate since the revitalization of the program post-pandemic. The Recreation Center building itself is quite environmentally-friendly too. It was awarded LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2016 for sustainable building practices and architectural design. Besides energy efficiency, the staff practices sustainability by reducing paper usage, producing educational slides, and incentivizing employee to avoid disposable breakroom items. The enclosed activity courts below-ground features LED lighting which saves energy and reduces BGSU’s overall carbon emissions thanks to their staff submitting an application to the Student Green Initiatives Fund. When you visit, be mindful not to contaminate the recycle bin with paper towels.
February 2020: In addition to hosting a green roof, a composting pilot program at Pub 1910, growing hydroponic vegetables at The Social House, and a variety of other sustainability initiatives, BGSU Dining Services took the pledge to verify their office space is also environmentally-friendly! Located on the 2nd floor of The Social House, BGSU Dining has continued to keep their office space environmentally-friendly by re-certifying in February 2020. They were recipients of the certificate initially in April 2014.
Office of General Counsel
October 2019: The Office of General Counsel serves BGSU by being the legal advisor for the Board of Trustees, the President, and University officers. They took the time out of their important roles to make many sustainable changes to become Green Office Certified in October 2019!
Conversation Biology and Population Ecology Lab
September 2019: In September 2019, the Conservation Biology and Population Ecology Lab renewed their Green Office Certification. Dr. Karen Root and her students first applied to become Green Office Certified after conducting research involving sustainability. They wanted to take steps to be more environmentally-conscious in their lab and subsequently became the first BGSU laboratory to receive Green Office Certification in December of 2015. The lab renewed their certification in February of 2017 and most recently in 2019.
Office of Campus Sustainability
Campus Operations Building
816 E Poe Rd
Bowling Green, OH 43402
Campus Sustainability Events:
Updated: 09/19/2023 04:28PM