The Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning is proud to share that we have earned Gold Certification through Northern Illinois University’s Green Office Certification program! This recognition highlights our ongoing commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility within our office culture and everyday practices.
To achieve our climb from Silver to Gold, the CITL team made a number of changes to help reduce waste, conserve energy, and promote mindful consumption. One of our primary efforts was improving sustainability-focused signage throughout our building. Recycling bins are now clearly marked with updated signs indicating what materials are accepted, helping everyone sort waste more accurately. Manual light switches now feature friendly reminders to turn off lights when exiting rooms, conserving electricity. In our kitchen and bathrooms, signs encourage users to turn off water taps after use, reducing unnecessary water waste. We’ve also added a sign near our building’s water station to promote the use of reusable containers and another in the kitchen that shows the location of reusable shopping bags.
In our kitchen space, we’ve transitioned away from single-use items and toward more eco-friendly alternatives. We now offer reusable silverware, dishes, and bags for staff and guests. We also replaced our Keurig machine with more sustainable options for making coffee and hot beverages, cutting down on waste from single-use pods. A battery recycling collection box is also now available in the kitchen, helping staff dispose of used batteries safely. For workshops and internal events, we now provide a coffee carafe and water dispenser to reduce reliance on disposable drinkware.
To encourage community engagement with sustainability, we’ve also launched a Green Office Microsoft Teams channel. This internal space fosters conversation and collaboration by highlighting green practices such as carpooling and bringing reusable containers to work. The channel is also used to share updated office procedures that support sustainability, promote NIU events related to environmental awareness, and invite staff to share their own sustainability efforts.
Achieving Gold Certification is a meaningful milestone for CITL—and we know this is just the beginning! We’re excited to continue finding new ways to reduce our environmental impact while supporting a campus culture of sustainability.
Happy Earth Day! 🌎
