Cornell University
EN-9: Staff Professional Development

Cornell incorporated Sustainability into every staff member's job description through the Cornell's Skills for Success: (1) Act and take initiative: Adopt a culture of sustainability and efficiency. (2) People seek me out to find solutions to deliver results: Assess environmental, economic, compliance and social impacts in decision-making. Every semester, the Campus Sustainability Office (CSO) offers two 3-hour sustainability sessions (intro & advanced) for Cornell's Management Academy (an opt-in professional development series). The sessions cover the importance of sustainability and climate change at Cornell, and cover personal and professional decision-making skills, including the Quadruple Bottom Line (our Sustainability Framework for Decision Making). We ask supervisors who are enrolled in the course to take what they have learned back to their units and institute sustainable practices and quadruple bottom line thinking. https://www.sustainablecampus.cornell.edu/blogs/news/posts/management-academy-spring-2018 CSO offers an abbreviated 1.5 hour Sustainability Management Academy course that may be catered to specific units and departments. Our office also hosts training sessions on Community-Based Social Marketing, Sustainability initiatives at Cornell, "Green Your Office in Under an Hour," and Quadruple Bottom Line Decision Making. The Campus Sustainability Office partnered with Get Your Green Back Tompkins (GYGB is part of Cornell Cooperative Extension) to support their Energy Advising training efforts with front-line Dining and Building Care staff. The goal is to support all interested Dining and Building Care workers in making their homes more energy efficient, and reducing their heating bills and carbon footprints, by connecting them to information and local contractors and vendors. GYGB aimed to work with 400 households, helping 100 get an audit and/or site visit/quote, and 50 take a step by getting the work done or renewable heating system installed. The approach was to use “Clock” organization for Building Care workers and to present during an annual training session for all dining workers (1000 people). GYGB offers presentations to segments of workers on benefits of energy efficiency & pellet heat, and share information on relevant incentives available. Follow up with those interested to help them navigate various programs. Each Clock has 15-20 people, so will need to serve 20-25 “Clocks” to reach 400 people. Allowing for two months between application and audit, another 6-8 weeks till getting report, and another two months before getting work done, will need about six months from presentation till work--and this represents a fast pace. For those with the WAP program, one year will probably be more realistic. Pellet heat should be shorter. Present up to three times a week to Clocks; 15-20 minute presentation; Elicit information from those who are interested--contact info, Tier income level, and particular interest. Follow up on different possibilities: Schedule subsequent Clock meetings, Visit Clock offices and check in in person, Paper checklist check in sent to Clock offices, Phone follow up. A combination of these, depending on personal interest and availability. Navigation: Depending on income levels and interests, guide people down several possible paths: Energy efficiency and/or Pellet Heat (and/or solar, etc) For Energy efficiency, direct to: WAP/EmPower (via WAP agency in each county) AHP via local contractors HP via local contractors For pellet heat, RHNY approved vendors for income qualified CCE for those in TC Entire list vendors for those not income qualified ***************************************************************************** Sustainability has become increasingly important to Cornell. Starting in 2001, when Cornell needed to look for a new venue to host five of its multiple-day leadership development programs for senior leaders and managers and for front-line staff, the RFP Organizational Development for Faculty & Staff (ODFS) sent to various vendors included that sustainability be a requirement. One vendor responded and has partnered with ODFS since that time to offer programs in a space that practices sustainability. On average, for a 5-day program with about 27 attendees per program, because we use washable dishes and compost or recycle the vast majority of food and materials, there is only about one small grocery bag full of garbage and that usually contains about three non-compostable coffee cups participants bring with them on Day 1 of the program. At the start of every multi-day program the owner of the facility we use introduces that for the week we will be sustainable. He asks the group to guess how much garbage they think the group will produce in one week. The group typically guesses 5-6 large garbage bags. We then talk about the importance of sustainability in our homes, at work, and in life in general from electricity to waste and what we can do to make a difference. Also, throughout the programs we talk about personal and human sustainability. At the end of the week the owner of the facility helps us end the program by showing the group the small bag of garbage, again, mostly their coffee cups from Day 1. We share that if all of us make a concerted effort to be sustainable and to practice sustainability in our homes and lives, we will have an impact. We also encourage vendors on campus who host one-day events to offer sustainable products. While it took some convincing in some instances, most vendors now offer sustainability options.

Many faculty and staff members attend a variety of professional conferences, workshops, webinars etc. paid for or reimbursed by the university (e.g. AASHE, ISCN, SSC, etc.)

https://hr.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/documents/skillsforsuccess.pdf