The University of Michigan’s School of Information has achieved a Platinum-level certification for sustainability from the Office of Campus Sustainability.
All three UMSI locations earned the platinum certification —the highest certification offered— and is the first school within the University of Michigan to do so.
UMSI’s locations in North Quad, Maynard Street and North University Avenue achieved Silvers status in 2014 and Gold status in 2015. These locations are among the 165 certified Sustainable Workplaces on campus.
“Earning this certification was truly an all-school effort, led by a dedicated and determined team of staff members who worked with imagination and commitment to improve our Planet Blue status, year by year,” said UMSI Dean Thomas Finholt, according to the University Record.
The standards set by the Office of Campus Sustainability in 2012 provide departments with steps to certification, including recommendations on sustainable practices and methods for identifying potential issues.
UMSI trained all its new employees with the Planet Blue Ambassador program, which made 85 percent of its staff certified Planet Blue Ambassadors and earned them the Platinum-level certification. Planet Blue represents the University’s commitment to becoming even more sustainable by 2025.
Additional UMSI initiatives contributed to their Platinum rating, including increasing reusable mug usage, programming printers to print double-sided, purchasing rechargeable batteries, enabling sleep mode on computers and printers and installing timers on hallway lights.