OCFMA Spring Conference
October 29, 2013
Spencer Wood, Associate Director Maintenance and Operations
Lindsay Walker, Sustainability Manager
www.humber.ca/sustainability
@SustainHumber
Sustainability
“Meeting contemporary needs without compromising the ability of
future generations to satisfy their needs.”
- UN World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987
In Humber’s 2013-2018 Strategic plan, Sustainability is one of our 6 values,
and there is a success outcome:
“Humber has embraced a comprehensive sustainability strategy that is
embedded in our integrated planning and resource allocation model”
Overview:
Sustainability Engagement at Humber
Past
•Limited
engagement and
communication
•Action Plan
• Sustainability
Committee
• Operational
changes
• Some student
involvement
Present
• Building
engagement &
communication
• STARS Silver
• Curriculum
• Partnerships
Future
• A culture of
sustainability
• Sustainability
Strategy
• New LRC
building LEED
Silver
Sustainability at Humber: Present
We are Building Engagement through:
STARS
Communication
& Events
Curriculum &
Partnerships
Sustainability at Humber: STARS
• AASHE: Association for the Advancement of
Sustainability in Higher Education
– Humber became a member in August 2012
• STARS: Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating
System
– Widely adopted throughout North America
– Provides a meaningful, transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges
and universities to measure their sustainability performance
You can only manage what you measure.
Sustainability at Humber: STARS
STARS: There are four main categories to earn credits
Education and Research
Operations
Co-Curricular Education
Curriculum
Research
Buildings
Climate
Dining Services Energy
Grounds
Purchasing
Transportation Waste
Water
Planning, Administration &
Engagement
Innovation
Coordination & Planning
Diversity and Affordability
Human Resources
Investment
Public Engagement
These credits recognize:
• Creative and innovative
strategies implemented on
campuses
• Areas where a campus has
exceeded credit criteria
Sustainability at Humber: STARS
First college in Ontario and third college in Canada!
Sustainability at Humber: STARS
Sparks communication
and collaboration
throughout the college
Raise awareness about
sustainability
throughout college
See tangible work on
the commitment
Humber has made to
sustainability
Supports achievement
of strategic goals
Provides rigorous,
nationally recognized
assessment framework
Benchmark with peers
Incorporate STARS
initiatives into courses,
projects
Makes information on
what Humber does
publicly available,
easily accessible to
everyone
BUILDING
ENGAGEMENT
Use information from
STARS results
supporting information
for new initiatives
Sustainability at Humber: STARS
• What’s involved:
Staff time
Money
Communication
Buy-in
Tracking
• 1 full time staff – 6 months
• 1 full time workstudy student – 4 months
• 10 volunteers – 6 hours each
• AASHE membership
• STARS membership
• Launch events (food, marketing, etc.)
• Launch Event
• Updates
• Awareness
• Need help and information from many departments
• Build buy-in through communication and executive support
• During process
• For future questions
• For future re-assessment
Sustainability at Humber: STARS
• Some of the ‘tough’ stuff:
– Curriculum inventory
• Student volunteers to read course outlines
– Yard waste numbers (we did track it previously)
– Vehicle mileage (we tracked, but it needed updating)
– “You don’t know (to ask) what you don’t know”
– Collecting student volunteer hours
– Getting others to understand the full breadth of
sustainability – e.g. Human Rights
Sustainability at Humber:
Communication and Engagement
Sustainability at Humber:
Communication and Engagement
Green Team Events!
Sustainability at Humber: Curriculum
and Partnerships
Approach: Act as a Catalyst
Integrate with
curriculum as much as
possible
Engagement through
events, collaboration and
participation
Coordination with
Operations and reviewing
infrastructure
The more we communicate and engage, the more momentum
grows, and the more we can do
Sustainability at Humber: Curriculum
and Partnerships
• Recycling and Waste Management
– Curriculum Partnership: 2013 recycling campaign
created by graphic design students
– Operations Partnership: Work
collaboratively with food services,
cleaning and hauler
Sustainability at Humber: Curriculum
and Partnerships
Sustainability at Humber: Curriculum
• Now:
– Business students researching on-site composting technologies
• Future:
– SEBT students to do energy auditing
– Event Planning students run events (?)
• Faculty connection:
– Asking directly how sustainability could be integrated (through
Deans, Associate Deans)
Sustainability at Humber: Future
Create Sustainability Strategic
Plan
Align with Humber’s Strategic
Plan, student and staff input,
findings from STARS
Grow
Green
Teams &
create
support
structure
Review
Committee
Structure
Continuous
Improvement
Engagement
Annual
Sustainability
Report
Measure:
energy, water,
waste,
engagement,
curriculum, etc.
Thank you!
Questions?
To find out more go to our website, email us and
follow us on twitter!
Website: www.humber.ca/sustainability
Email: sustainability@humber.ca
@SustainHumber