Take the Pledge
Opens Again in December 2015
Cardinal Green
Cardinal Green Office Program
Through everyday actions, occupants of any campus building can directly impact Stanford's sustainability and bottom line. The Cardinal Green Office Program utilizes a building evaluation process to recommend simple steps occupants can take to reduce their environmental footprint, and offers support in implementing those changes.Through the program, individual actions have saved up to 20 percent on electricity bills in some campus buildings. This program includes an audit of your building, tailored recommendations, access to an online resource center, and the Sustainable Office Space training course. This year, more than 30 buildings enrolled in the program and will now begin the audit process. The first 10 buildings to implement recommended measures following their audits will receive $100 cash rewards for their event/operations budgets.
Program Contact: Moira Hafer Sustainability Analyst, Office of Sustainability
Get Involved
Individual office sustainability actions have saved up to 20 percent on electricity bills in some campus buildings. If all buildings at Stanford achieved the average savings, the university could save up to $350,000 in electricity costs annually. Here's how you can get involved:
- Sign up by taking the pledge: Contact Moira Hafer in the Office of Sustainability if you have questions.
- Prepare:Enroll in our free training course (not mandatory). Available through STARS/AXESS and eligible for a BeWell Healthy Living Berry, SST-1000: Sustainable Office Spaces is a fun and hands-on exploration of the options available to “green” your office.
- Implement: We’ll walk through your building with you to put together a personalized action plan. Once complete, submit an ERP Office Equipment Rebate application form - PDF and earn direct cost savings.
Need additional resources and support? Trained Stanford students and staff are available to help you with all implementation steps.
Participated in Cardinal Green Office before? No problem. We would be happy to revisit your building to ensure optimal setup and identify any new savings opportunities.
What’s In It For You?
The Cardinal Green Office Program is an excellent opportunity to connect your community to Stanford‘s sustainability mission. Realized savings may even improve your building’s Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP) performance. By helping your department conserve resources, you'll be eligible to win participation prizes with a total value of up to $1250:
- Pledge Raffle - The Office of Sustainability will raffle off ten $25 gift cards for each building manager that takes the pledge.
- Implement changes - The first 10 buildings that implement the recommended measures following audits will receive $100 cash rewards for their event/operations budgets.
Take the extra step and participate in the Cardinal Green Training program, which qualifies for a BeWell Healthy Living Berry. Join the growing network of Cardinal Green citizens on campus. The effort will be recognized at the annual “Celebrating Sustainability” event and featured in campus publications.
Program Background and Results
The Office of Sustainability, in collaboration with the Woods Institute, various units in Sustainability and Energy Management, and Zones Management, launched the Cardinal Green Office Program as a platform for Stanford's Schools and Departments to educate occupants and implement sustainability practices at the building level. Formerly entitled the Building Level Sustainability Program (BLSP), the Cardinal Green Office Program harnesses individual, action-based resource conservation to achieve consumption reductions that complement efficiency improvement at the infrastructure level and jointly accomplish carbon footprint reduction goals. The Cardinal Green Office Program is offered as part of the Cardinal Green Buildings campaign and serves as a sustainability communication, education, and implementation tool that addresses the triple bottom line of sustainability – environment, economy, and social engagement.
View 2014 Cardinal Green Buildings results
Essential office sustainability components and resources are described below:
- Program Description & Toolkits: Starting with the connection of individual action to the larger vision of sustainability at Stanford, the BLSP Program Description and Toolkits - PDF guides users through the design process and critical steps to launch a successful behavior-based conservation program at the building level. The program incorporates building audits, user surveys, and occupant-led resource conservation actions via a collaboratively developed "Green Action Menu" that can be tailored for the specific school or department’s building.
- Pilot Project Results: Pilot projects completed in 14 buildings showed a sustained reduction in electricity consumption between 3 percent and 20 percent with an average simple payback period of less than 11 months. By the end of Fiscal Year 2014, 71 building had participated in the program.
- Funding Opportunity: ERP Express for Office Equipment offers rebates to the Stanford community to incentivize the purchase and installation of appliance timers and Smart Strips. Eligibility requirements, terms, and conditions are detailed on the ERP Office Equipment Rebate application form - PDF.
- How To Guides: Developed to answer the most common questions posed during BLSP implementation, electronic “how to guides” walk users through everything from setting up office composting to applying for rebate funding.
- Student Engagement: The Office of Sustainability engages student interns through the Sustainable Stanford Internship Program to assist with audits and develop recommendations for each building.
- Candidate Buildings: Almost 100 buildings have been identified as future program candidates. To see if your building is among them, please review the Future Cardinal Green Office Candidate List - PDF and contact the Office of Sustainability with any questions.