Sustainable Campus recognizes Sliger Building’s achievements in sustainability

Sliger Building has become the first Green Office Certified building on campus. The Green Office Program is a Sustainable Campus initiative that helps Florida State University employees identify ways to make their workplace more sustainable and recognizes offices for their sustainability achievements. Through the program, offices receive a Green, Garnet, or Gold designation. A Gold designation is the highest level of certification, and it represents a significant commitment to sustainability in the workplace.

On Tuesday, October 26, 2021, the Center for Information Management and Educational Services (CIMES) and the Resilient Infrastructure & Disaster Response Center (RIDER) joined the Research Computing Center (RCC) as Gold certified offices. The three offices are co-located in Sliger Building, making the building the first space on campus in which all building tenants are Green Office certified.

RCC Data Center Manager, Mitch Gans, first became interested in the Green Office program in September, 2019. After helping his division become Green Office certified, Gans looked for ways to involve the other departments in Sliger Building.

“Mitch led the charge,” said Will Hill, Strategic Initiatives Manager at RIDER, “and once he brought us into it, I realized how well the Green Office initiative aligns with RIDER’s mission.”​

Working collaboratively across departments, Gans, Hill, and CIMES Senior Accounting Specialist Kevwe Sullivan explored ways they could integrate sustainability into the everyday culture of Sliger Building. The team established a bicycle closet to provide a secure parking space for bike commuters. The group also began a campus-wide “Bring the Rings” campaign to collect and recycle plastic pack rings. Finally, Gans, Hill, and Sullivan completed a Green Office training session as a final step towards certification.

“This process has helped me become more aware of my impact on both my immediate environment and the broader environment,” said Sullivan. “I think sustainability really boils down to mindfulness - mindfulness on a personal, departmental, and global level - and this program has made me more mindful about the decisions that I make.”

Sliger Building’s Green Office efforts serve as an important example of how individuals can impact their departments, buildings, and sector of the university in a positive way. In the future, the offices in Sliger Building hope to continue their outreach to other departments within the College of Engineering, find ways to decrease their utility usage, and continue to engage as many students, staff, and faculty members in sustainability as possible.

To learn more about the Green Office Program, visit sustainablecampus.fsu.edu.

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