STARTING A GREEN DORM

ROOM CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

University of South Carolina

COMPONENTS OF OUR PROGRAM

Green Dorm Room Certification Checklist –

Google Form

Room Audit Form – completed by building

EcoRep

Resources Manual – pdf posted online

Window clings for certified rooms

STEPS

1. Don’t start from scratch!

2. Decide on your format and develop

3. Develop a logo

4. Have a student do a trial run

5. Put it online

6. Teach EcoReps about the program

7. Have them promote it to their peers

8. Have them promote it some more

9. Get publicity

10. Assess the program

DON’T START FROM SCRATCH

Look at Green Office Certification programs

Harvard (PDF)

UCLA (Excel spreadsheet)

UC Berkeley (Word document)

Look at Green Dorm Room Programs

Tufts (Google form)

Luther College (through email)

University of South Carolina (Google form)

DECIDE ON YOUR FORMAT

DEVELOP A LOGO

HAVE A STUDENT DO A TRIAL RUN

Catch mistakes in the checklist

repeat credits

spelling errors

confusing wording

Will a student understand what the credits are

asking?

Is the checklist too hard?

Streamline the communication and room audit

process

PUT IT ONLINE

Creating a Google Form

Under Google Docs click

on “Create”

Fill in your checklist

Make sure it is on your

university sustainability

website

Make it a page on your

EcoReps website or blog

Put the link on Facebook

PROMOTE IT (A LOT)

Using our website for information about the

program, resources manual, and link to checklist

Using Facebook for link to checklist,

announcements of rooms certified

Working with campus media to promote it

Attempted to do a competition between the

EcoReps

Planning floor-by-floor competition

Prizes are always good

GET PUBLICITY!

ASSESSMENT

Survey planned for 6 months after certification

Have students continued, changed, increased their green habits since certification?

Example Questions:

Have you continued the following behaviors since having your dorm room certified: recycling, printing doubled sided, purchasing recycled paper etc…

Which behavior has been the most challenging for you to continue?

Have you added any additional behaviors since having your dorm room certified: using carbon offsets, etc…

Have you encouraged anyone else to complete the certification?

CHALLENGES WE’VE HAD

Requires more “work” from students than other

events we do

The checklist we created may make even level 1

intimidating

Using the Google form adds a step to the process

(but its easier for students than paper)

Communicating with the EcoRep and then the

room contact can take time

Communicating with students by email can be

frustrating

Still not sure what the best way to promote it is?

OUR CHECKLIST

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?form

key=dGJNWHpmb2R0blExSDFqaW4zOHZaY1E

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