Going Green with our Students MyLearn Paperless Enrollment Process and Resources The GlobaLinks Learning Abroad website features the option to create a MyLearn account which allows students to manage every step of the study abroad processes online, without compromising our renowned student services. We encourage you to set up a MyLearn account on our website to access information, instead of requesting printed materials through the mail. By doing so, you can save items to the filing cabinet in your account and sign up for our monthly newsletters, which conserves a large amount of paper and reduces the amount of fuel utilized in the transport of mail.
For our participants, our new online enrollment system includes a paperless, online application and enrollment process, electronic participant guide and resources, and online statements and bill pay. We have already saved 1,720 pounds of paper by not sending paper participant guides February and May 2008. That’s a savings of 20.64 trees in just 4 months! Green Passport – www.abroadview.org As a part of our pre-departure process, we encourage students to sign up for the “Green Passport” program on Abroad View’s website. Here, students who are committed to sustainable study abroad can sign up for the program and are then asked to follow suggested guidelines in which they “respect the interconnectedness of the world’s people and environment and take actions to reduce their ecological and socio-cultural footprint when they study and travel abroad.”
“Travel Light” Departure Package Prior to departure, students are provided with a departure package as well as an online departure webinar. In addition to the Lonely Planet guides and travel wallets we have provided our affiliated students in the past, our departure packages now include a reusable, recyclable shopping bag made from recycled plastic. Although these bags are just now picking up in popularity in the U.S. and Canada, they have been very popular and even necessary for grocery shopping in many other countries, including Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. We want our students to be prepared for cultural differences and to be environmentally conscious at the same time. We also provide participants with “tips for traveling light” which includes detailed information about drought conditions in Australia and the need to conserve water.
Encourage Off-Setting Airline Travel
Students are encouraged to purchase carbon credits to offset the greenhouse gases emitted by their airline travel.
For more information about carbon credits to offset airline travel, check out the links below:
www.sustainabletravelinternational.org
www.carbonfund.org
The National University of Singapore is planning for a "Green Town." Read more about this Green Town.
Going Green within our Organization
Reduce – Reuse – Recycle in all offices
Our Colorado office, as well as our overseas and regionally based staff, are taking steps to create as little waste as possible in our daily tasks. We have already established practices to:
- Eliminate paper “Participant Guides” for all programs
- Encourage employees to not print at all or to print double-sided
- Designate one printer tray to be 100% reused paper
- Designate recycling bins throughout our office for paper, glass, and plastics
- Recycle and refill ink and toner cartridges
Monthly Green Challenge
Each month, we focus on one theme to provide employees with advice, resources, and even “challenges” to make going green easy. Month-long activities such as the “Stair Challenge” remind staff members that small steps in the right direction (like avoiding the elevator) can save energy, reduce carbon emissions, and ultimately reduce the impact we have on the earth. Challenges we have already undertaken and those scheduled for the next few months include:
- Stair Challenge – climb instead of ride the elevator – 20 people participated and 1,720 stairs were climbed – making us all healthier and reduced emissions from the elevator transport
- BYOC – Bring Your Own Container – with special focus on reducing use of plastic water bottles, disposable coffee cups, plastic grocery bags, and take out containers
- Reduce – Reuse – Recycle – we already do so much of this, we took it to the next step by encouraging staff to recycle odd things such as tennis shoes, batteries, and old cell phones
- Save Energy – with special tips on how to change computer settings to reduce electrical waste
- Alternative forms of transportation – with a specific goal of cutting our greenhouse emissions related to our combined daily commutes in half for one month
- Buying Local – including information on how much impact the transport of food has on our environment
- Conserve Water – a special “shave 2 minutes off your shower” challenge
Contribute to the Local Environment
We are sponsoring a volunteer day for staff to participate in a conservation-based volunteer day in our local open space in July 2008. We hope to make this an annual day of community and environmental service.
Attendance at Local “Green” Events
In order to continue to learn and expand our ideas of how to improve our sustainable business practices, we attend local events such as the Northern Colorado Green Summit.
Green Machine
We even have our very own GREEN form of transportation. This donated mountain bike is a great way to make a quick run to the local store or coffee shop from our office without starting the car engine.
Our Staff’s Travels
As a team, we have committed to hold more “virtual” meetings via teleconferences and webinars with advisors at campuses throughout the U.S. and Canada instead of traveling to visit them at their location. Not only will this reduce the amount of CO2 released into the air through airline and car travel, it will allow us to “visit” more individuals more regularly.
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