After undertaking extensive renovations and taking steps toward efficiency by updating office practices, the MSU Police Department is being honored for going green.
The department recently was awarded a Green Certification, an initiative forwarded by MSU’s Office of Campus Sustainability meant to honor campus units that have attempted to reduce their environmental footprint, Office of Campus Sustainability Project Coordinator Lauren Olson said.
MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said the MSU Police Department is in the process of renovating the interior of its building at 87 Red Cedar Road for the first time since the department moved into the building in 1975.
Renovations completed thus far include areas with skylight access, glass walls in many of the offices to allow more natural light in the hallways and the addition of motion sensing lights that shut off when no one is in the room, McGlothian-Taylor said.
The department also is looking into other areas where it can promote environmental sustainability, McGlothian-Taylor said, including going paperless for all police reports and recycling old bicycle locks no longer used by police.
Olson said these changes, as well as other MSU Police Department practices such as properly located recycling bins and good environmental habits from employees, contributed to the overall determination of Green Certification.
McGlothian-Taylor said the department is committed to keeping its environmental footprint as small as it can be and will continue to take steps to be more efficient with energy.
“We’re trying as hard as we can,” McGlothian-Taylor said. “We’re all about sustainability and keeping things as green as they can be.”
The MSU Police Department is not the only office at MSU that is seeing green. Between the last green certification application period of October 24, 2011 and March 9, there were 92 offices at the university that applied and were approved for green certification, Olson said.
Olson estimates that about one third of the campus’ office buildings have either applied for or received Green Certification during the three years the program has been in existence.
Green Certification categories also have been made available for campus laboratories, kitchens, data centers, floors in residence halls and for individual students.
Accounting freshman Ashleigh Ross said university offices eligible for green certification should follow in the MSU Police Department’s example.
“Everyone says we’re a really green campus, so we should uphold that,” Ross said. “The environment’s really important.”
Olson said the program can help encourage campus entities such as the MSU Police Department to try being greener, even if they aren’t currently practicing good sustainability habits.
“The Green Certification program honors those who are taking steps to be green and also gives people ideas of how they can improve,” Olson said.
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