Embedding Sustainability into the Outreach You@PSU Performance Goals

Over the past year, Penn State has changed its Professional Management System to the You@PSU system, one that emphasizes the alignment of individual goals with those of their unit’s and the University’s. This change assists our staff to understand their role in supporting the University’s success in strategic areas and outlines and measures the buildings of professional skills. One of the University’s key priority areas is sustainability. The following examples offer suggestions of how employees can align their own professional and personal sustainability goals with that of their unit and Penn State. In these examples, we have used the Outreach and Online Education as the unit example. Other unit strategic plans can be found on the OPIA website.

Strategy 1: Resource Stewardship

University Strategy: Stewarding our resources

PS Outreach and Online Education Strategy: Continuously evaluate stewardship of University resources (Goal 5, Objective 5.3)

PS Outreach Green Team Goal: Operationalize Sustainability

Personal strategy: Look for efficient use of office resources

SMART Goal 1: Reduce paper use by 5% over the next fiscal year by looking for ways to reduce printing and print double-sided in most cases.

Specific / Reduce paper use by 5% over the next fiscal year by looking for ways to reduce printing and print double-sided in most cases.
Measurable / Outline how you will collect benchmarking data and the results. Measure not only the paper reduction, but also the financial savings.
Attainable / Outline how you will achieve the goal.
Relevant / Aligns withthe University strategies for resource stewardship
Time-bound / Achievable within the 2015-16 fiscal year

SMART Goal 2: Work with OOE to explore setting all printers to duplex printing as a default by spring 2015-2016. This would entail working with the OOE leadership and the IT staff to gain support and work out process details.

Specific / Work with OOE to explore setting all printers to duplex printing as a default by spring 2015-2016.
Measurable / Number of printers in OOE; number of printers that could be set to duplex as a default; number of printers changed to duplex default.
Attainable / Initial query to leadership and IT should be obtained before goal is finalized.
Relevant / Aligns with theUniversity strategies for resource stewardship
Time-bound / Achievable within the 2015-16 fiscal year

SMART Goal 3: Work with your office mates to enroll in Penn State’s Green Paws Program and complete Levels 1 & 2 certification by spring 2016.

Specific / Work with your office mates to enroll in Penn State’s Green Paws Program and complete Levels 1 & 2 certification by spring 2016.
Measurable / The program provides a tracking mechanism and at the completion of each level, the participants are awarded a certificate.
Attainable / Yes
Relevant / Aligns with theUniversity strategies for resource stewardship
Time-bound / Achievable within the 2015-16 fiscal year

SMART Goal 4: Recognizing that paper files take labor to organize and space to store, work with IT to digitalize our paper records in FY 2015-16 and create a common digital filing system for future electronic records. I will work with others in our unit to make sure that the filing system is usable for all. Funding would be required to scan old files and I will work with our leadership to secure the funding.

Specific / Recognizing that paper files take labor to organize and space to store, work with IT to digitalize our paper records in FY 2015-16 and create a common digital filing system for future electronic records
Measurable / How many records were digitalized; how much storage space was saved and therefore does not need conditioning. Ease of use for new filing system by unit staff.
Attainable / Yes
Relevant / Aligns with the University strategies for resource stewardship
Time-bound / Achievable within the 2015-16 fiscal year

SMART Goal 5: For our conferences and guest speaker series, I will seek non-material appreciation gifts for our participants and speakers. I will investigate options and gather feedback from co-workers on selecting the items we will use. This will be accomplished by our next conference and used for all meetings in the 2015-2016 fiscal year.

Specific / For our conferences and guest speaker series, I will seek non-material appreciation gifts for our participants and speakers. I will investigate options and gather feedback from co-workers on selecting the items we will use.
Measurable / Both the consumables and the cost difference are measurable.
Attainable / Yes
Relevant / Aligns with the University strategy for resource stewardship.
Time-bound / Achievable within the 2015-16 fiscal year

Other ideas:

  • Go paperless by converting forms that you use to fillable pdfs with electronic signatures.
  • Replace some face-to-face meetings with polycom, conference calls, or Adobe Connect sessions.
  • For catered events, order less food to prevent food waste.

Strategy 2: Support University Priorities

University Strategy: “Comprehensive integration of sustainability into the University’s research, teaching, and services that will prepare students, faculty and staff to be tomorrow’s sustainability leaders.” Strategic Planning Guidelines, 2014

PS Outreach and Online Education Strategy: “Proactively support and embrace University objectives to embed sustainability as a fundamental value through the advancement of literacy, solutions and leadership.” (Goal 4, Objective 4.7)

Personal strategy: Develop a broad understanding of sustainability and how OOE can uniquely contribute to furthering an understanding of sustainability in our unit.

SMART Goal 6: Collaborating with the Sustainability Institute and other Green Teams, establish a compendium of shared Green Minute, accessible online, to educate our peers about sustainability.

Specific / Collaborating with the Sustainability Institute and other Green Teams, establish a compendium of shared Green Minute, accessible online, to educate our peers about sustainability. Define places to use the Green tips, including online and building applications.
Measurable / Creation of the shared green minute compendium can be measured along with the contributions of other Green Teams and the documented use of the tips. Do the tips change behavior? This could be measured in a targeted area.
Attainable / Yes
Relevant / Aligns with the University strategy for fostering sustainability literacy.
Time-bound / Achievable within the 2015-16 fiscal year

SMART Goal 7: Coordinate a Lunch and Learn on healthy working habits with other Green Teams in the Innovation Park area and circulate a survey 3 months later to see if people have changed their habits. (Process written up in May AIR newsletter)

Specific / Coordinate a Lunch and Learn on healthy working habits with other Green Teams in the Innovation Park area.
Measurable / Conduct a survey 3 months later to see if people have changed their habits.
Attainable / Yes
Relevant / Aligns with the University strategy for fostering sustainability literacy.
Time-bound / Achievable within the 2015-16 fiscal year