The University of Iceland has received recognition for the Environment Agency of Iceland for having implemented three out of five steps in the Green Steps programme for public organisations. Jón Atli Benediktsson, rector of the University of Iceland, accepted the recognition from Gróa Einarsdóttir, specialist at the Environment Agency of Iceland.
The University of Iceland has been a part of Green Steps for Public Organisations for some time, and the programme aims at reducing negative environmental impact for public operations, strengthening environmental awareness among public servants, and increasing their well-being in their work as well as reducing costs in state management. Environmental issues and sustainability are the present times main tasks and by participating the University of Iceland wants to contribute to the fight against climate change and pollution.
Certain actions are required to reach each step and recognitions are presented for each green step taken. The Environment Agency of Iceland oversees the procedure and during the appraisal in December 2020 the University's Main Building completed both steps 2 and 3. This includes reducing the use of energy in the operation, encourage staff to increasingly use environmentally friendly ways of transport to and from work, increased recycling and improve product use and implementing more environmentally friendly purchases and events organised by the University.
The implementation of the Green steps within the University is furthest along in the Main Building. Work on the steps in School offices is in the making as well as all other offices at the University. According to the Government of Iceland policy in climate issues all state institutions are to have completed the green steps by the end of 2021,
Present at the award ceremony with Jón Atli and Gróa were Kristinn Jóhannesson head of the Division of Operations and Resources who oversees sustainability and environment issues in university operations, and Sólrún Sigurðardóttir and Jón Sigurður Pétursson, project managers at the same division.