Virginia Tech
PAE-13: Staff Professional Development in Sustainability

All members of the university community, including staff, are provided annual opportunities to participate in a variety of sustainability related workshops and seminars that are part of the annual Virginia Tech Earth Week. These programs are widely publicized through the university’s daily email announcements and flyers to employees and students. Examples of previous workshop topics include: container gardening and composting, sustainable products, effective communications for environmental advocates, sustainable forestry, “leave no trace” (for backpackers and campers), and permaculture. In addition to Earth Week, the annual Sustainability Week activities, which are hosted throughout the Blacksburg community, are widely publicized to staff, faculty, and students. To view the workshops, seminars and events that have taken place during Earth Week and Sustainability Week please see: http://ew2011.com/ and http://www.recycle.vt.edu/sustain/ Additional staff development opportunities enhance the overall educational effort by targeting programs toward groups of employees based on their roles within their departments. 1. The university supports several internal employee “professional development networks”, which are available to all employees who perform specific roles, such as facilities managers or laboratory specialists, within their colleges or departments. Virginia Tech’s Office of Energy and Sustainability (OES) reaches out to these employee networks to offer programs on energy and sustainability. Presentation topics have included the campus energy and sustainability plan and initiatives, energy conservation, and recycling. During the 2011-12 academic year, OES will reach out to other employee professional development networks to offer sustainability related seminars. 2. The university operates a nationally recognized award-winning dining program. Virginia Tech Dining Services introduced a pilot composting program in 2009 as part of a broader set of initiatives focused on sustainable alternatives. Sustainability training was provided to managers and employees. 3. All university employees have access to several self-paced interactive tutorials on “Green IT” through ElementK. ElementK offers the Virginia Tech community interactive tutorials which cover office productivity, web development, and other software in depth. The “Green IT” tutorial focuses on defining “Green IT” terminology, identifying “green alternatives” that help minimize the negative impact of information technologies, and understanding best practices to facilitate the implementation of “Green IT” principles. Future Staff Development Opportunities: 1. Virginia Tech Benefits and Hokie Wellness Fair, April 4, 2012: The mission of the Virginia Tech Benefits and Hokie Wellness fair is to provide Virginia Tech employees with information about their financial, physical, environmental, and ergonomic health. The new Spring Benefits / Wellness Fair will have additional support and contribution from the Office of Energy and Sustainability, Environmental Health and Safety, the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise, as well as many other programs. There will be breakout sessions regarding retirement investment planning, flexible spending accounts, health benefits, and dental benefits vendors. In addition, faculty, staff, retirees, and adult benefitted employees will have the opportunity to have several health screenings, including blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, postural analysis, and bone density. There will also be presentations on health topics, sustainability, ergonomics, financial planning, depression, and sleep wellness. All employees are welcome to attend and participate in the full schedule of events. 2. Human Resources and the Office of Energy and Sustainability (OES) are working to develop the “OES Road Show,” a brown bag lunch series that offers sustainability training and information sessions to employees and employee professional development networks. Future presentation topics will include “Practical Sustainability Applications in the Workplace,” “VT’s Recycling and Comprehensive Waste Management Plan,” “VT’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program,” “VT’s Student Sustainability Initiatives” and other sustainability topics.