Sustainable Office Certification Program

The Sustainable Office Certification (SOC) Program seeks to increase the sustainability of the day-to-day operations of campus offices through education, encouragement, and reflection. The SOC Program offers offices metrics to evaluate and advance sustainable office behaviors. Each certified office will be ranked on a scale from bronze to Wildcat based on their finalized scorecard. The entire certification process should take an estimated four hours over four to five weeks to complete.

An employee is considered anyone who works at least 50% of their time in the office, including contracted, part-time, STEPS, or regular employees. An office is considered a group of at least three employees who share space and resources. Applications for the SOC Program open twice per year (Fall and Spring) to any on-campus office interested in participating in the program. Fill out our interest form to be notified when applications are open.

• Join a cross-campus network of peers working together to be agents of change.
• Play a key role in implementing university-wide sustainability goals and programs.
• Add to your knowledge of sustainability concepts.
• Gain university-wide recognition for your sustainability efforts.

Step 1

Select a point person for your office to coordinate program participation through. This will be your office’s Sustainability Ambassador.

Step 2 (~1 hour)

Complete the interest form to request an introductory meeting where we will answer any initial questions, explain the scorecard, and review the current practices in your office. A baseline score for your office will be determined, but this will not be the score used for certification.

Step 3 (~3 hours)

After the introductory meeting, your office will have until the final submission date to discuss the program with your office and make any changes you would like to improve your office’s score. Once the scorecard is resubmitted, this will be the final score used to rank and certify your office.

Step 4

Attend the end-of-cohort networking luncheon to be recognized for your office's efforts.

Step 5

Attend the Sustainability Showcase to collect your office’s certificate.

Step 6

Recertify within two years. Certification is valid for up to two years, but offices may also recertify sooner.

Program Interest Form

Resource and Signage Packet

Contact carlie.laughlin@uky.edu for any assistance or questions about the Sustainable Office Certification Program.