Institute of Human Nutrition Earns Platinum in Sustainable Columbia's Workspace Certification Program

July 23 2020 

The Institute of Human Nutrition has been recognized by Sustainable Columbia for their active participation in the Sustainable Leaders Network (SLN) and for earning the Platinum Certification in Year Three of the Workspace Certification Program. The program was created to give workspaces on Columbia's campuses a checklist of actions to improve sustainability at the individual level, while fostering an overarching culture of sustainability, ultimately helping to reduce the University's environmental footprint.   

“The schools and departments recognized in this year’s Workspace Certification are integrating sustainability into the fabric of their culture, taking actions that support the University Sustainability Principles set forth by President Bollinger in 2016,” said Allie Schwartz, Assistant Director of Outreach and Planning for the Office of Environmental Stewardship and Workspace Certification Program Administrator. 

As Columbia’s first campus-wide sustainability plan comes to a close in 2020, the next iteration will require the Columbia community to work together not only to plan a way forward, but to implement the ambitious measures that will undoubtedly result from the planning process. 

“As we prepare to launch the next University Sustainability plan in April 2021, these certified teams set a strong example of how sustained behavior change is most effective when driven locally, from peer to peer, across our decentralized campus environment,” said Jessica Prata,  Assistant Vice President for Environmental Stewardship. “Fostering a sustainable culture at Columbia will remain central to progress in the years to come.”  

The IHN joined the Workspace Certification Program in 2017, earning Gold Certification for the first time in May 2018 and again in May 2019. IHN Senior Director Sara Sternglass has led the initiative for the IHN and noted, “The IHN staff and faculty work closely together to support a sustainable work environment, spending a lot of time recycling, reusing, and repurposing materials when possible. We use as little paper and toner as possible, which has had a significant impact in not only saving money but in supporting our sustainability efforts. Thank you to Team IHN for their hard work!”