Sanford School and DUMAC are Green Workplaces

The Sanford School of Public Policy and Duke Management Company (DUMAC) have earned the Duke Green Workplace Certification, bringing the total to 24 certified workplaces and over 400 staff working in certified workplaces at Duke.  The Green Workplace Certification recognizes work areas that formally assess how they are reducing their environmental footprint.

DUMAC earned certification for 42 staff members in their Diamond View offices at the American Tobacco Campus by completing 41 out of 58 items on the certification checklist.  DUMAC has transitioned to electronic publications and makes frequent use of the Duke Surplus Program.  They provide bulk condiments and water pitchers for meetings and events, and encourage the use of reusable dishes and cutlery.  The workplace has motion-sensored water fixtures and energy efficient lighting, as well as filtered water stations to eliminate disposable plastic bottle use.  The workplace recently purchased an Energy Star dishwasher in compliance with Duke's Energy Star policy.  DUMAC also worked with Shred-It to install larger bins in their workplace in order to reduce the frequency of trips that the company required to collect their confidential paper recycling.

Sanford has received certification for 70 faculty and staff who work in the Sanford Building.  The group achieved 43 items out of 58 possible items on a checklist that measures workplace sustainability. Sustainable practices at Sanford include enabling energy saving modes on electronics, purchasing recycled content office supplies, and encouraging use of teleconferencing and videoconferencing to avoid travel when possible.  Sanford changed their paper purchasing from 100 percent virgin to 30 percent post-consumer for centralized purchase of paper for printers and copiers.  The school distributed Go Passes to all incoming graduate students during orientation and added a supply of reusable mugs to their kitchen.

Sanford has taken many additional actions as a school to encourage sustainable behavior from their students, faculty and staff.  In 2012, for the third year, Sanford volunteers salvaged hundreds of pounds of items left behind at K-ville and donated them to TROSA.  At the school's annual holiday luncheon last December, they had an awareness building event and encouraged 150 attendees to take the Sustainable Duke pledge.  In April 2012, Sanford also held an Alternative Commuting Day and expanded their two bike parking areas due to increased demand. 

Duke's Office of Sustainability administers the Duke Green Workplace Certification, which begins when a representative from a work area attends the free "Leading for Environmental Sustainability" workshop. As part of the workshop, participants receive a checklist of sustainable practices ranging from double-sided printing to using eco-friendly dishwashing soap in a break room. A work area that can demonstrate it follows at least 40 of the checklist's 58 items can apply for certification and permission to post the Duke Green Workplace seal in its office and on materials.

View a complete list of certified offices and the actions they completed to earn certification.