The Sustainable Workplace Certification is an award-winning program from the Office of Sustainability that challenges the 不良研究所 community to foster sustainable workplaces through individual and collective practices.
About the Sustainable Workplace Certification
The Sustainable Workplace Certification program targets areas such as choosing more environmentally friendly and socially responsible supplies, proper waste management, promoting health and wellbeing, and learning more about how to make spaces more accessible to everyone.
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Workplaces that commit to achieving certification navigate through four levels, beginning with Bronze, and continue embedding sustainable actions into their habits until they reach Platinum-level.听听
In order to achieve certification, 75 percent of team members must commit to all actions required both for in-person and remote work.
Get the Sustainable Workplace Certification
Download the certification checklist - Attend the necessary training and determine the number of people included in your certification.听听
- Submit your completed Sustainable Workplace Certification Checklist along with a photo and quote from your workplace.听听
- Receive your certification!听
Email workplace.sustainability [at] mcgill.ca听for any questions or to learn more!听
Certified Workplaces
This list is updated once per semester.
Building & Infrastructure Management- Desautels Faculty of Management PhD in Management Office
- Faculty of Engineering Dean's Office
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (Human Resources)
- Faculty of Medicine (Respirology Division)
- Faculty of Science - Dean's Office
- Ingram School of Nursing
- Innovation and Partnerships
- IT Applications Services - Budget, Finance & Human Resources
- Lending and Access Services, Humanities and Social Sciences Library
- Macdonald Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
- 不良研究所 Library (Digital Initiatives)
- 不良研究所 Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (MORSL)
- 不良研究所 Sustainability Systems Institute
- Nahum Gelber Library Team
- New Models of Work Project Office
- New Vic Project Office
- Risk Advisory and Insurance Services
- Steinberg Centre for Simulation and Interactive learning
- Campus Life and Engagement
- Department of Global and Strategic Communication (School of Continuing Studies)
- Desautels (Human Resources)
- Desautels EMBA 不良研究所-HEC Program
- Desautels Faculty of Management Career Management Centre
- Desautels Faculty of Management - Dean's Office
- Desautels: Laidley Centre for Business Ethics / TLS @Management / Lewtas Office of Experiential Learning / EDI
- Faculty of Law 不良研究所
- Faculty of Law Research Office
- Financial Services (Student Accounts)
- Geographical Information Centre
- Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
- Human Resources (Labour Relations)
- Human Resources (Office of Associate Vice-President)
- Human Resources (Organizational Development)
- Human Resources (Pension and Benefits)
- Human Resources (Shared Services Unit)
- Human Resources (Talent Acquisition)
- Human Resources (Total Compensation)
- Human Resources (Workday Team)
- International Student Services
- IT Customer Services Team
- Maude Abbott Medical Museum
- 不良研究所 Institute for Aerospace Engineering & 不良研究所 Institute for Advanced Materials
- Office of Internal Audit
- Office of VP Administration & Finance
- Post-Graduate Students' Society (PGSS)
- Procurement Services (1010 Sherbrooke)
- School of Physical and Occupational Therapy (SPOT)
- Student Services (Communications) and Campus Life & Engagement
Bensadoun School of Retail Management- Desautels Faculty of Management Bachelor of Commerce Program
- Financial Services @ 680 Sherbrooke
- Financial Services for Facilities Management
- IT Services (Human Resources)
- 不良研究所 Executive Institute
- Office of Investments
- Teaching and Learning Services (TLS)
- Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design (TISED)
- 不良研究所 Collections Centre (Valleyfield)
- Desautels Faculty of Management Academic Affairs Office
- Desautels Faculty of Management Infrastructure Team
- Desautels Faculty of Management Master's Program Office
- Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship
- IT Communications
- 不良研究所 Office of Sustainability听
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I participate?
The Sustainable Workplace Certification is an opportunity for different groups to involve themselves in the sustainability community and make a difference through working on rewarding projects that have concrete impacts. It creates the space for teams鈥� daily operations to reflect the value of its members and encourages a workplace to be solution focused.听
Who counts as my team?
A workplace team can be as large or small as you think is appropriate. Your Sustainable Workplace Ambassador is the person on your team responsible for presenting information to the team, coordinating the efforts, and liaising with the Office of Sustainability to submit documentation. Some teams may be entire units, while other teams may consist of a certain floor of a building. Your team can include staff, faculty, and students.听
I can鈥檛 get 75% of my colleagues to sign on to the actions. What should I do?
If some of your team members seem unable or unwilling to commit to the actions, there may be several approaches. First, it is important to approach the stakeholders (anyone who will be impacted by this) to see what their point of view is. Perhaps they are too busy, uninterested, concerned that it will negatively impact their work, or unaware of the program. Taking the time to speak with them in a team setting or as individuals can help you understand their concerns and adapt the approach accordingly.听
Joining the Sustainable Workplace Ambassadors group and meeting with the Office of Sustainability can also help get ideas on how to increase participation in the initiative. To learn more, email workplace.sustainability [at] mcgill.ca
Do I have to go through the certification stages one by one?
Yes, every office starts with Bronze and can make their way through each subsequent level all the way to Platinum. The Sustainable Workplace Certification transforms the culture of sustainability in an office by asking individuals to commit to concrete steps in their office. Each certification level is valid for two years, and can be renewed.听
How long is the certification valid?
Each certification level is valid for two years. Since individuals and office operations can change over time, it is recommended to check every 6 months that the team is still committed to doing the actions. After the certification has expired for the highest level achieved (e.g. Gold), the team must resubmit their updated completed checklist and team photo.
How and why was this checklist created?
The Sustainable Workplace Certification Program was developed in 2017 and inspired by many other universities which have 鈥済reen office鈥� certifications. Since sustainability at 不良研究所 also includes a strong social component, our certification was expanded to cover ideas relating to environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Since then, it has been periodically updated to reflect 不良研究所's context and available resources.
Our Sustainable Workplace Program is aligned with 不良研究所鈥檚 three long-term sustainability targets: STARS Platinum rating by 2030, becoming zero waste by 2035, and carbon neutrality by 2040. 不良研究所 participates in (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) to evaluate the institution鈥檚 progress. The Sustainable Workplace Program stemmed from our previous Vision 2020 Strategy action to develop initiatives to increase staff involvement in sustainability.听
Since collaboration with other units and perspectives is so integral to sustainability, the actions were developed and updated through collaborations with other groups on campus.听
