Greening the Office

What is the Greening the Office Certification Program?

The Greening the Office Certification program is a program designed to educate and motivate administrative office areas and ambulatory practices to adapt sustainable and environmentally friendly practices and to celebrate and to recognize those offices for their efforts. Departments can achieve Silver or Gold certification, depending on their score.

To learn more about the program, how it works, and tips and tricks to successfully complete the checklist, watch this webinar. 

How does it work?

  1. Applications will be open annually from September 1st - November 30th.
  2. Download the checklist from the Resources page.
  3. Identify the office space that you are certifying.
    • This certification checklist is intended for non-clinical, administrative office areas or ambulatory practices. This checklist is not intended for inpatient units or entirely remote departments.
    • The checklist can be used for departments that work fully on-site or in a hybrid environment. Office space-related questions (regarding the physical environment) should be answered based on the Carilion office location (not home offices).
    • Only one checklist should be completed per office space, but should include responses that account for all employees that work in that space. If your department is spread out among multiple office spaces, please submit different checklists for each office space.
    • This should focus on staff, not visitors to the office space.
    • If you have questions on whether your office space qualifies for this program, contact Marina Sotelo at mcsotelo@carilionclinic.org.
  4. Complete this checklist to indicate which practices are in place in the office.
    • Many questions require additional documentation to be submitted (powerpoints, photos, etc.). Please include this documentation when submitting your checklist. If the documentation is not included, follow-up will be required and could delay scoring of application.
    • Questions should be answered based on what the department is CURRENTLY doing/has done by the time the checklist is submitted. Please do not answer YES to any items if you have not completed them by the time of submission, even if you plan on doing them in the future. For example, if you have not educated staff on how to print double-sided, but you plan to send out an email about this in the future after submission, check NO.  For any items you answer NO for, if you need assistance in implementation prior to your next certification period, please reach out to Marina Sotelo.
    • For any items marked "Evaluated & Not Applicable", explain why it is not applicable in the Notes column.
    • Ambulatory practices should complete the Ambulatory section in addition to the rest of the checklist. Non-ambulatory practices can disregard this section.
  5. Once completed, please submit this form, signed by the department leader, and any supporting documentation to mcsotelo@carilionclinic.org. The Sustainability Champion Greening the Office Subcommittee team will review and follow-up upon submission to clarify any questions and let you know which certification level you have achieved.
  6. You will be notified of your award level in January. Departments who achieve certification will receive a recognition decal and will be featured in a Wow Wall post on Inside Carilion.
  7. If certified, you are certified for two years. Offices can re-certify every 2 years.


Tips to Complete

  • Designate a champion to take the lead on this effort. This person should be responsible for educating the office on the process, obtaining information and documentation, and completing the checklist. This champion does not have to be the department leader, however, the checklist does need to be signed by the leader. If there are multiple leaders in the office, one should sign. Some information pertains to education/training/onboarding, so direct those questions to the individual, or individuals, who handle that in the office.
  • Take a "first pass" at the checklist to determine what you are already doing, and what other areas of opportunity are. Then, prior to submitting, choose a few items to complete. Complete those items and change your response from NO to YES.
  • Use this form to collect data from individuals. To customize the form and generate a shareable link, click "Duplicate" at the top of the page.
  • Consult the Sustainability Educational Slide Deck on the Resources page. This can be used to educate staff and learn more about different items on the checklist. The slide deck includes scripted notes, so the champion in the department can use them to present information to the team.
  • Be specific! The more information you provide, the better!
  • Be creative! Many items on the checklist are open-ended and provide the opportunity for you to be creative.

 

Resources

Resources to help you complete some items on the checklist, can be found on the Resources page.

 

Benefits of Participation

  • The program engages staff to bring sustainability programming to the next level through certification, awards, communications, and education.
  • According to Practice Greenhealth: Employees who say they have the opportunity to make a direct social and environmental impact report higher satisfaction than those who don’t,
  • The value of increased engagement goes beyond increased recycling rates and energy conservation efforts. Employees who lend their talents and time to activities contributing to the social good often feel greater commitment to, and connection with, their organizations and their work. This employee commitment is heightened when their organization embraces sustainability in its mission, core values, and decision-making framework.
  • Reducing waste, conserving resources, and preventing climate change are just some of the benefits of becoming an environmentally sustainable office. There are cost savings associated with the change to an eco-friendly office as well.
  • Green office employees report a better work environment. Greening activities foster a sense of teamwork, with new ideas being contributed by all employees.
  • Promoting a healthier community enhances the practice’s public relations profile, improves patient confidence in their health care professionals, and may encourage individuals within the community to make personal and/or professional changes as well.

2025 Green Office Certified Locations 

GOLD 

Institute for Orthopaedics and Neurosciences (ION), 2331 Franklin Road SW, Roanoke 

Human Resources, 1212 3rd Street, Roanoke (Recertification) 

SILVER 

Outpatient Therapy, 213 Gilbert Street, Blacksburg 

2024 Green Office Certified Locations 

GOLD 

Home Health & Hospice Home Care Building, 1615 Franklin Road, SW, Roanoke

Simulation Center, 15 Old Woods Avenue, Roanoke

Compliance Department, Suite 1201 CASB, Roanoke 

Education & Organization Development, Carilion Talent Development Center at Tanglewood, Roanoke 

Virtual Care Center, Parkview, Roanoke 

2023 Green Office Certified Locations 

GOLD

Human Resources, 1212 3rd Street, Roanoke 

Community Health and Outreach, 1202 3rd Street, Roanoke  

SILVER

CNRV Hospice and Home Health Administration, 701 Randolph Street, Suite 110, Christiansburg   

1 West Administration Suite, CRMH, Roanoke  

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