An enterprise at UCLA, the Central Ticket Office (CTO), one might assume is responsible for a massive paper trail, is one of the most sustainable operations on campus. CTO is an official Green Business, certified by the U.S. Green Building Council Los Angeles.
The City of L.A. program engages with businesses and organizations to take steps to operate more sustainably and reduce their carbon footprint.
CTO processes, sells and distributes movie tickets, theme park admissions, public transit passes and more for on and off-campus activities, totaling more than 1.2 million tickets to more than 500 events each year. CTO handles 20,000 walk-up customers at the office, processes 41,000 internet transactions and answers more than 26,000 calls annually.
To become a certified Green Business, CTO had to meet program standards for conserving resources, preventing pollution, minimizing waste and following environmental laws and regulations.
Having already transitioned to paperless tickets, CTO was ready to take their sustainability practices further. For the certification, the office took actions such as installing energy-efficient lighting, using programmable, smart thermostats, procuring Energy Star office equipment and appliances, using green cleaning products and making accessible water stations available to cut back on single-use plastic (i.e., water bottles).
CTO also offers telecommuting and provides storage for bicycles. One original measure implemented was introducing writing tablets to take electronic notes when assisting customers — instead of going through notepads of paper and pens.
Also, part of the checklist? A community category to establish a “Green Team” to promote recycling and reusing, setting computer monitors to sleep mode when stepping away or at the end of work shifts and adding indoor plants to the office that help improve air quality.
The Green Team, led by staff members Jessica Valdez and Joyce Lee, also delivers quarterly presentations and produces a weekly newsletter filled with relevant facts, helpful tips, and opportunities for deeper involvement, such as participating in a local habitat restoration project or attending a talk on LA County water conservation efforts. They even share meatless recipes.
CTO was prompted to make these changes in accordance with UCLA Sustainability efforts to support green campus office spaces, as well as the University of California’s climate action goals to prioritize direct emissions reductions.
