Green Reps are employees from all areas across the University of Rochester who care about workplace sustainability. The Green Reps act as sustainability advocates, teachers, and liaisons in their department. The Green Reps program was created by a working group of the University Council on Sustainability.
To effectively carry the program forward, University Facilities and Services is happy to announce Jessica Hamm as the new Green Reps Program Coordinator! In this new part-time position, she will work to expand and improve the visibility of the Green Reps program through outreach, recruitment, training, and education events. She will also be responsible for organizing quarterly programs to provide ongoing education and motivation for current Green Reps. As the Green Reps Coordinator, Hamm is responsible for developing communications and programming targeting the Green Reps network and supporting individual Green Reps’ sustainability goals and initiatives in their respective departments. This includes writing The Compost, the Green Reps monthly e-newsletter. She will also attend University Sustainability Council meetings. Having Hamm on board as the new Green Reps Coordinator will help boost sustainability initiatives in all departments of the University and continue to improve and expand the Green Reps program.
Jessica Hamm studied interpersonal and organizational communication at Brockport College where she earned her Master’s degree in 2011. Since graduating, she has worked in both administrative and creative roles ranging from Human Resources administrator to graphic designer. In addition to her Green Reps role, Jessica also works for Community Composting, a local residential and commercial composting business, where she handles their marketing and administrative responsibilities. She also teaches public speaking at Finger Lakes Community College.
“The Green Reps Working Group is really excited to welcome Jessica Hamm on board as the Green Reps Program Coordinator! We’re looking forward to partnering with Jessica to help grow the Green Reps program.”
– Meredith Smith, Assistant Director, Prospect Development
As advocates, the Green Reps promote green initiatives through e-communications, events, and day-to-day interactions. As liaisons, Green Reps’ feedback and input is relayed to the University Council on Sustainability. Through the Green Reps, University of Rochester employees’ views, concerns, and priorities can be presented to University leadership. In their role as teachers, the Green Reps raise awareness and educate their colleagues about the University’s sustainability efforts and the ways that individuals can “go green” in the workplace. The small, sustainable changes made by Green Reps can have a ripple effect on other positive behavior changes and practices.
Interested in becoming a Green Rep? By signing up as a Green Rep, you will receive the monthly e-newsletter, The Compost, which contains tools, tips, and resources. Green Reps can choose to simply receive the information and stay in the loop, share the information within their departments, or take the information to help introduce or improve sustainable practices. Green Reps have freedom and flexibility to implement sustainable strategies in a way that works best for them individually, without any requirement. To learn more about the Green Reps program, or to sign up, visit www.rochester.edu/sustainability/greenreps/. Ideas and suggestions for how to make this employee-led sustainability initiative ever better can be sent to GreenReps@rochester.edu.
Written by Alyssa Lemire, Class of 2017