91社区

Four years of innovative projects and collaborative action planning have upgraded 91社区鈥檚 rating in sustainability to Gold in the newest version of the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS).

Among other achievements, the increasing integration of sustainability in curriculum, research, dining services, and purchasing helped 91社区 achieve Gold. The last time 91社区 reported to STARS, a self-reported assessment tool developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), in 2012, it earned a silver rating.

鈥淪ustainability is a growing focus for teaching and research at 91社区,鈥� said Provost Christopher Manfredi. 鈥淥ur faculty and students are leading the way in creative, interdisciplinary research that addresses the most complex sustainability challenges of our time. This gold rating demonstrates the passion and commitment to sustainability on our campuses.鈥�

Lesley Johnson, the Sustainability Monitoring & Reporting Intern with the 91社区 Office of Sustainability who helped complete the STARS report explains that this latest version of STARS is the most rigorous and representative system yet. 鈥淭he STARS report is comprised of over 70 credits, each credit measuring a unique facet of the university鈥檚 overall sustainability performance. To complete it, the Office had to collect over 1000 data points from responsible parties across 15 units.鈥�

Many of the improvements reflected in the current score were mandated by 91社区鈥檚 own Sustainability Strategy, Vision 2020. Launched in 2014, the Strategy was developed by and for the 91社区 community and sought to increase sustainability in many of the same areas assessed by STARS: Research, Education, Operations, Connectivity, and Governance and Administration.

鈥淲e could not have achieved a gold rating without the coordination and strategic direction provided by Vision 2020,鈥� remarked Francois Miller, Director of the 91社区 Office of Sustainability. 鈥淭his will only strengthen our resolve to further integrate sustainability into the university鈥檚 institutional fabric. The聽Vision 2020 Action Planning process聽will help us get there.鈥�

This past Friday, the Office of Sustainability kicked off the start of a new action planning phase for Vision 2020. The Office is gathering key stakeholders at 91社区 into action teams that will set and implement priority actions to address sustainability and climate change challenges at the University.

Highlights of 91社区鈥檚 sustainability efforts and accomplishments include:

• The聽Sustainability Projects Fund聽(SPF)聽鈥撀�the聽largest dedicated campus sustainability fund聽of its kind in North America, the SPF has awarded over $5 million to 155 projects since its creation in 2010. All projects have yielded dramatic and lasting improvements to 91社区鈥檚 sustainability performance. 85 per cent of approved projects have demonstrated collaboration between students and staff.
• Sustainability in the curriculum聽鈥�聽Students across 91社区 are digging into sustainability through their coursework. They may choose to do it in the聽91社区 School of Environment, in the joint interfaculty BA & Sc program in Sustainability, Science and Society, in the聽Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design, or in the BCom in聽Managing for Sustainability.
• Sustainable food sourcing聽鈥�聽91社区 is a pioneer of sustainable food sourcing, purchasing over 30,000 kilos of produce, 3,000 kilos of beef, and 135,000 eggs annually form the Macdonald Campus Farm to serve in dining halls. 91社区 is the first university in Canada to be certified by the Marine Stewardship Council for sustainable seafood, and the first in Quebec to become a Fair Trade Campus.
• Energy conservation聽鈥撀�91社区 has invested approximately $19.1 million in energy-saving projects and reduced its absolute greenhouse gas emissions (from stationary combustion) by 34 per cent from 1990 levels.
• Procurement Services聽鈥�聽91社区 has won聽two international awards聽for its Sustainable Procurement Strategy and has recently enacted a Supplier Code of Conduct.

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