PD & Training for Sustainability

The Partnership for a Green City is an innovative sustainability collaboration of a metropolitan research university, a large urban school district, a regional community college and the merged municipal government, four of the largest public employers in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Partnership process convenes peers from each public entity to address problems and share sustainability solutions.  Peer pressure, rather than top-down decision-making, has produced significant changes in behavior and operating procedures within each partner.

Creating the sustainability culture and norms within partnership organizations begins with Sustainability in the New Employee Orientation sessions at all four partners. Employees at all levels become familiar with the meaning of sustainability and its three dimensions, the expectations of single stream recycling and waste reduction, composting, green purchasing, packaging reduction and energy efficiency at work, school or home.  Attendees are aware that there are “shades of green” from light to dark and everyone can work with what is comfortable, but add new green habits that conserve resources for future generations.

We also present professional development sessions such as Sustainability 101; Dumpster Diving – you won’t believe what is in there; Energy Audits – what vampire loads are draining your energy budgets; Climate Instability & Behavior Change. Employees can schedule these for groups and they are also scheduled on the professional development schedules of the partner organizations. 

This presentation would be an interactive sustainability training where the attendees would become engaged, active participants in the “orientation session” along the lines of how we conduct our training.