The Eccles Health Sciences Library recently achieved an important sustainability goal – in January 2019 ESHL was presented with the Gold level of Green Office Certification by the University of Utah Sustainability Office. This milestone was reached with the participation and hard work of numerous library staff and faculty. The Eccles Library is proud to see its efforts recognized by the university and is happy to be working with the campus in furthering the ongoing project of environmental sustainability.
[View Green Office certification checklist]
EHSL is now the 6th university department, and the first in the health sciences, to achieve the distinction of Gold certification. Encouragingly, 22 other departments are now also engaged in the process of qualifying for some level of Green Office Certification. With awareness increasing of the dire threats posed by climate change and environmental degradation, the Eccles Library is gratified to be among the leaders of this effort at the University of Utah.
The project of achieving Gold certification has been led by the Eccles Library Sustainability Committee, which is chaired by our Associate Director of Access and Inclusion, Joan Gregory. The Sustainability Committee has been working for many years in a collaborative relationship with the University of Utah’s Sustainability Office. EHSL’s Technology Engagement Librarian Brandon Patterson serves as a liaison between the Eccles Library committee and the Sustainability Office. The wide range of sustainability initiatives [https://sustainability.utah.edu/progress/focus-areas/] being implemented at the university serve as the basis of ideas for future efforts and programming at EHSL.
In achieving Gold certification, a variety of skills possessed by EHSL staff and faculty were called upon to overcome technical hurdles. Dave Jones of the IT department was instrumental in the process of verifying that 80% or more of the library’s printer defaults are set to double-sided printing. And Digital Collections Librarian and Sustainability Committee member, Nancy Lombardo, designed and implemented a poll to determine the percentage of library employees who use public transportation to get to work.
For anyone who would like to view the Gold certification award, it is located on the Eccles Library’s Lower Level in the glass display case. More information about Green Office Certification is available at: https://sustainability.utah.edu/engagement/programs/green-office/
