Green Teams
Self-organized cross-functional groups of employees coming together to identify and implement specific solutions to help their department operate in a more sustainable fashion.
PURPOSE:
- Actively participate in campus-wide sustainability initiatives, as well as developing new initiatives appropriate to their departments.
- Identify how their department, and UF as a whole, is moving towards or away from sustainability.
- Help provide information and cooperation across teams.
- Incorporate sustainability goals into departmental orientation processes for new employees/students to ensure that these practices become institutionalized.
As a Green Team member, you will have the opportunity to provide meaningful service to UF, while networking across campus and promoting and encouraging sustainable actions and attitudes in the workplace by leadership and example. To find a Green Team in your area, send an inquiry e-mail to info@sustainability.ufl.edu.
Tips for Getting Started:
Step 1: Prepare for an initial meeting/gathering of interested people.
- Consider approaching your department leaders for buy-in
- Determine a leader/facilitator for the meeting
- Find and reserve a location
- Invite those interested (or send an open invitation to all of your colleagues)
- Draft an agenda
Key things to consider are:
- Are you willing to be the Green Team captain, and if so, is your supervisor ok with that arrangement? If not, who is willing to assume a leadership role?
- Can you identify coworkers in your unit or department that are interested in sustainability and may want to join the Green Team?
- Use the resources and examples below to assess your workplace and begin to brainstorm ways to make it more sustainable – this can help inform the meeting agenda.
Step 2: Hosting the inaugural meeting.
The first meeting should serve as an opportunity for mutually dedicated individuals to come together and start the movement toward a more sustainable work space. Use this time to
- Brainstorm ideas and potential projects (see Section 2).
- Set goals and prioritize efforts based on group preferences or feasibility.
- Develop action plans and assign project leader(s).
- Send meeting minutes and follow-up communications to keep on track.
- Sign up the team captain and any interested members to the Green Team Listserv
Step 3: Maintaining enthusiasm.
Once your Green Team has been established, ensuring the momentum persists is critical. Try to keep communication open between group members, and schedule follow-up meetings at a frequency that works best for your team.
- Sign up for the UF Green Team Listserv
- Have members sign up for the Sustainable UF newsletter and listserv to keep up to date on new campaigns and programs, events, opportunities and general news updates. You can sign up for the Office of Sustainability newsletter and listserv at sustainable.ufl.edu.
- Develop a Green Team e-newsletter specific to your department to keep others in your office up to date on efforts and accomplishments, and possibly recruit new members.
- Send news updates to the Office of Sustainability (OoS) so that we can share your success on our website and with other Green Teams.
- Most importantly, keep Green Team efforts fun and be creative on ways to engage colleagues: host a reading group, schedule a social hour to discuss sustainability topics and new projects, or plan an office potluck to celebrate a recent success. The possibilities are endless!
