Sustainable Practices - Departments

November 2013 Featured Department:  Office of the President

Lane's Office of the President achieved Green Office Certification in September 2013 due to the leadership and efforts of the Office of the President employees and, of course, President Spilde herself.  The Office of the President consists of Mary Spilde, President; Elizabeth Andrade, Project Coordinator; Joan Aschim, Public Information Officer; Brett Rowlett, Director of Governmental and Community Relations; Tracy Simms, Director of Marketing and Public Relations; and Donna Zmolek, Assistant to the President and Board of Education.

The Office of the President received the Green Office Certification due to their commitment to greening their own office, supporting sustainability throughout Lane, and promoting sustainability in our community and nationally.  Examples of efforts within the Office of the President include:

• Using no incandescent bulbs.
• Sharing appliances, minimizing electronics, and ensuring that all electronics are turned off at the end of the day.
• Printing double-sided or on paper that is already used on one side.
• Minimizing paper use further by moving to electronic filing systems and distributing the monthly Board of Education packets electronically.
• Looking in surplus property and the Reusable Office Supply Exchange before purchasing new furnishings and supplies.
• Having a wellness champion who promotes wellness activities within the department.
• Including sustainability in all job postings.

For our community, President Spilde and the Office of the President staff tirelessly advocated for the LEED Platinum Downtown Campus academic building and LEED Gold Titan Court, buildings that are helping to revitalize the core of Eugene in a healthy and sustainable way.

In addition to all of this important work for Lane and for our community, President Spilde has also been a strong leader in education for sustainability nationally.  She was one of the first signatories to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment and served on the steering committee for the commitment.  She serves on the Sustainability Task force of the American Association of Community Colleges and she also co-edited the League for Innovation publication The Sustainable Community College: Holistic Approaches to Sustainability.