On November 13, campus sustainability leaders from across the province gathered at NC’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake to chart a pathway to net zero carbon.
Sixty-eight leaders gathered on campus and virtually for a day-long workshop co-led by NC’s Planning, Sustainability and Capital Projects division and Sheridan College, who hosted the first workshop in December 2022.
NC’s Pam Skinner, Senior Vice-President, College Operations, welcomed the group, and positioned post-secondary leaders as not only stewards of the environment, but stewards of the next generation of students and climate leaders.
“Our commitment to this work honours our world. To our students, it shows them that change is possible,” said Skinner.
The sessions aimed to chart individual and collective pathways toward greenhouse gas reductions, with a look at planning and procurement processes to help inform leadership teams and advocacy.
“Ontario colleges and universities all have similar operations, similar mechanical systems and similar issues. We have the ability to learn from each other and accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emission by refining our processes like RFPs, design, and others,” explained Danielle Notarianni, Manager, Energy & Assets.
“The big takeaways from the day revolved around collaboration and sharing with each other to work towards accelerating decarbonizing college and university campuses in Ontario,” explained Katie Bristow, Sustainability Program & Outreach Coordinator.
The day ended at the Wine Visitor and Education Centre providing a chance to visually highlight some of NC’s sustainability initiatives, including window film to regulate temperature in the building, and the sustainable winemaking certification.
Students Haadeon Scott and Sierra Savoie also attended the workshop.
“Attending the workshop was a great opportunity!” said Sierra Savoie, Environmental Management and Assessment program student from Niagara Falls. “It really helped me to understand all the complex planning and leadership that has to occur in various sectors to do what’s sustainable and what’s best for students at Niagara College and other institutions.
“The representation from NC and our students illustrated our commitment to understanding what this means at NC and working towards actionable items to meet our current commitments and to address the climate crisis,” said Bristow.
Savoie is working with NC’s Sustainability Office as a sustainability technician.
“I learnt a lot about strategies that different institutions are using to integrate sustainability into their operations and partnerships, just like Niagara College does through the Office of Sustainability. From a student perspective, it was great to learn that Niagara College and other institutions are working towards supporting sustainable practices that we work on through the Office of Sustainability.”
