As soon as I started as Sustainability Specialist, I hit the ground running with one of my top priorities being creating a brand for sustainability at UT. From my experience, everything is more successful when it has a brand. While brainstorming with my team, we developed the SEED Initiative, Sustainability, Energy Efficiency, and Design. The SEED Initiative encompasses three full time employees that work on energy and sustainability related projects. Our working mission is as follows:

“The University of Toledo’s SEED Initiative, housed in Facilities & Construction, focuses on Sustainability, Energy Efficiency, and Design to ensure the University is operating in a manner that betters our neighbors, economy, and planet. Through environmental sustainability projects, energy conservation measures, innovative building renovation and design, and a comprehensive educational campaign, SEED commits itself to the sustainability movement.”

But SEED is bigger than the three of us and bigger than Facilities & Construction, it includes everyone at the University who is working towards or cares about sustainability. It is about the faculty member who threads sustainability through their lesson plans. It is about the staff member who makes sure to turn off all the office lights before leaving each night. It is about the student who grabs a plastic bottle out of the trash and puts it in its proper place in the recycling bin. SEED is UT’s sustainability brand. As SEED grows, so will UT’s recognition as a sustainability leader. I envision SEED as being the glue that connects all sustainability projects, from faculty research, to student organizations, to individual efforts, across campus together and makes them stronger. SEED will allow all of us to stay connected on what is going on in terms of sustainability. It will provide resources for those who want to help with this effort. It will connect individuals who wouldn’t necessarily have worked together in the past. And finally, it will drive change at UT, ensuring resources will be available for future Rockets!

Tags: SEED, sustainability

Brooke Mason is the Interim Sustainability Specialist for The University of Toledo. A 2012 Bowling Green State University graduate with a degree in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management, Brooke is obsessive about environmental sustainability. In her position, she works on initiatives ranging from energy conservation, to recycling, to transportation, and much more. She is passionate about working with and educating students about the topic of sustainability. Everyday Brooke works to ensure the current generation can meet their need without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same. In her spare time, she loves reading novels, oil painting, and exploring the outdoors.
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This entry was posted on Monday, November 26th, 2012 at 12:39 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.
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