Category: What’s New @ UMW

Thank you so much for making this year’s CVC at UMW such a success…apparently we truly are the ‘small school with a big heart’!  Of the over 160 agencies of the Commonwealth that participated in the CVC, UMW ranks 23rd in total giving.  And later this winter UMW will receive the Shining Star Award at the CVC recognition ceremonies.  This award is given to those agencies that surpass the previous year’s overall contributions.  None of this  would have happened without the commitment of our UMW CVC Ambassadors and your generosity.  We will have final numbers in January, but I am happy to report that our overall giving is up this year by 145.1 percent!  And it’s not too late to contribute.

Tuesday, Jan. 15 is the last day to collect paper pledges and submit to the processing center by January 18.

Every single gift, not matter the size, counts and makes a difference. Again, thank you all, so very much.

For more information, contact Lori Izykowski.

For the past two months our weekly tips have included features on coffee, lighting, junk mail, kitchenware, green meetings, and more.  The goal of this series is to educate employees about ways to improve sustainability in the workplace.  But this week we’re asking YOU to do something to educate other employees.  If you’re reading this article and consider yourself a conscientious individual who is concerned about having a greener office, we’re challenging you to step up to the plate and form a Green Team in your office!

What is a Green Team you ask?  Well, since you asked, a Green Team is a groups of staff members from an office/department that meet regularly to educate themselves and their coworkers about sustainability.  The goal of a Green Team is to ultimately come up with ways to improve office practices when it comes to sustainability. You’re not being asked to recreate the wheel;  although the more ambitious, the better! Simply organizing a small group of 2-3 people to meet every month and discuss sustainability in your office would be a great start.  So after you’ve drafted some like-minded individuals to put together a Green Team for your office, here are some ideas to help you get started:

• Meet every month to discuss observations you have made about office behaviors (items not being recycled, lights being left on, excessive paper towels being used in the kitchen, etc.)

• Take the time during full staff meetings to bring up your observations to other co-workers and get them to make a commitment to change harmful/wasteful behaviors

• Establish goals for your office; start with small goals to build momentum (e.g. getting everyone on board with shutting off their computer monitors when leaving their offices for lunch or especially for the day)

• Use signs to educate colleagues about sustainability issues (“Don’t forget to turn off the lights!” posted near the light switch in the kitchen or in the copy room)

• Post articles about sustainability in a general area space in your office where co-workers can see it, or send emails containing links to articles on sustainability for your co-workers to read (remember to do this in moderation).  Who knows, maybe someone missed this week’s “Office Sustainability Tip of the Week” in EagleEye.  As a member of your office’s Green Team, you can share it with your co-workers in case they may have missed it.

• Form an informal “Green Orientation” program where you teach new employees about ways to go green in your office when they first start

Now that you have read this article and gotten some ideas, there is no time to waste (pun intended) — start a Green Team in your office now!  If you have any suggestions for things we can all do differently each day to create more sustainable office environments, please feel free to leave a comment or email me the idea to be featured in a future Tip of the Week.

The PCS Action Group members for the “Office Sustainability Tip of the Week” are Kevin Caffrey, Elizabeth Sanders, Robert Louzek, and Dre Anthes.

Last week’s tip: Social Sustainability

The next edition of the EagleEye newsletter will go out on Thursday, Jan. 10.

EagleEye, which reaches close to 1,000 users each week, is the perfect place to announce faculty accomplishments, event information and campus happenings. The newsletter goes out on Thursday afternoons to all faculty and staff, as well as other internal constituents.

Faculty and staff can submit information to EagleEye using the directions at http://umweagleeye.wpengine.com/contribute/, or by emailing Brynn Boyer or Marty Morrison in the Office of News and Public Information.

Email submissions received before 1 p.m. on Thursdays are guaranteed to appear in the current week’s newsletter.

Please contact Brynn Boyer (bboyer@umw.edu) or Marty Morrison (mmorris3@umw.edu) with any questions.

The UMW Staff Advisory Council, known as the S.A.C., will collect donations for the 2012 “Helping the Homeless” Drive through Monday, Dec. 17.

Donations to the drive will aid the area’s disadvantaged in homeless shelters and families currently living in vehicles, motels and other alternative forms of shelter.

The S.A.C. once again requests the assistance of their fellow UMW employees in making this year’s drive a success. Please see the list of most requested donation items and donation drop off locations below.

Items Requested:

• Breakfast cereals
• Juice boxes
• Spices
• Pasta sauce & soups
• Tuna, canned meat
• Paper towels & toilet paper
• Trash bags & zip lock bags
• Dish washing soap & powdered laundry soap
• Bleach
• Shampoo, bath soap & hand sanitizer
• Disposable razors & shaving cream
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Crock pots
• Electric skillets
• Gently used warm clothing

Donation Box Locations:

• Marye House
• George Washington Hall, 3rd Floor
• Facilities Services
• Jepson Alumni Executive Center
• University Relations at Eagle Village, Suite 300
• Lee Hall, 2nd & 3rd floors
• Trinkle Hall, 2nd floor
• Stafford Campus, North & South buildings

For more information, contact Priscilla Sullivan at psulliva@umw.edu.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service will be held on Saturday, January 26, 2013.  The MLK, Jr. Day of Service will focus on service projects that recognize Dr. King’s dedication to addressing social justice issues such as poverty, education, and public health.  Participants will be assigned to assist at various services sites in the Fredericskburg community.   All members of the campus community are invited to participate in this event.

For additional information about the MLK, Jr. Day of Service, contact the Center for Honor, Leadership and Service at x2272, or the James Farmer Multicultural Center at x1044.