Thinking outside the box

If the inhabitants of Cubicle Nation are given information about environmentally sensitive office supplies, will they use them? Elaine Jane Cole aims to find out.

By Andrew Miner

The Forest Grove News-Times, Feb 21, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Chase Allgood / News-Times

Elaine Jane Cole is helping Pacific University turn its offices into green spaces.

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For most people, the phrase “doctoral dissertation” conjures up images of late nights in ivy-covered libraries and nerve-wracking presentations before tweed-jacketed professors glaring over wire-rimmed glasses.

Elaine Jane Cole will have none of that stuffy stuff. In her quest for an advanced degree, the Forest Grove scholar takes a pragmatic, hands-on approach - on full display this month at Pacific University - when she recruited a score of business representatives to pitch their earth-friendly office products.

Cole, a student with Antioch University in Ohio, radiated energy during the Sustainable Office Fair she organized on Feb. 9 in the Fireside Lounge of Washburne Hall.

Representatives from J. Thayer Company in Lake Oswego marketed pens and mechanical pencils made from car batteries, headlights and cell-phones.

Yalmaz Siddiqui, Environmental Strategy Advisor for Office Depot, was touting “The Green Book,” a 123-page catalog of environmentally sensitive products sold through Office Depot.

Nearby, a representative from St. Johns Panel System out of Hillsboro displayed 100-percent recycled insulation material called Teratex, a composite material manufactured from pop bottles, plastic bags and milk jugs.

Even industry giant Intel showed up, marketing its advances in economic efficiency through sustainable practices Switching its packaging from cardboard egg-shell cartons to vacuum-sealed plastics has reduced the size of Intel’s shipping packages, resulting in an estimated savings of 1.9 million gallons of fossil fuels. That’s enough energy to supply 2,100 American homes for a year.

Cole is researching the effects of a community-based social marketing campaign. She first surveyed Pacific University staff members to find out how much they think they are recycling. Through the fair she then educated them on environmentally sensitive office supplies and ways to reduce their waste of recyclable products.

Ramona Ilea, for one, was impressed.

“Some of these products are a lot more environmentally friendly than what we are using,“ said Ilea, a professor of ethics and social responsibility. “I think it’s great that Pacific University is advertising for sustainability.”

Now, Cole will sift through intermingled recycling bins and evaluate through a post-fair survey to see if staff members were affected by the fair over the course of a term.

“I want to see if the campaign strategy has any affect on those areas. Did it help to foster environmental behavior change in people,” Cole said.

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