University Facilities and Services is pleased to announce Sherin George as the new Green Reps Program Coordinator. Green Reps are a team of University of Rochester employees from many different departments who care about workplace sustainability. They 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.
In this position, Sherin will work to expand and improve the visibility of the Green Reps program through outreach, recruitment, training, and educational events. She will also organize quarterly programs to provide ongoing education and motivation for current Green Reps. As the Green Reps Program Coordinator, Sherin is responsible for developing communications and supporting individual Green Reps’ sustainability goals and initiatives in their respective departments.
Sherin George graduated from Michigan State University in 2015 with a degree in English Literature. She then went on to get a Master’s in English Literature from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Sherin is currently a Doctoral Candidate at the Warner School of Education. Her research interests are in intersections of race and class and how student success rates are influenced by their families and teachers. She has worked at a nonprofit in Chicago called Hope Works Community Development which focuses on workforce development in the community. While there, Sherin started and facilitated a GED tutoring program for adults interested in furthering their education. In addition to her Green Reps position, Sherin works as a Teaching Assistant. Her passion to inspire change in communities and her educational outreach experience make her an excellent fit to be the Green Reps Coordinator.
As advocates for sustainability, 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.
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 ways that work best for them individually, without requirements. 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 Mariah Greico, Class of 2018