U of T Sustainability Office Collaboration
For more information on the U of T Sustainability Office, please visit: http://sustainability.utoronto.ca, http://twitter.com/SustainableUofT, call 416-978-6792, or email: sustainability@utoronto.ca.
SUMMER 2010 UPDATE
By JP Davidson
Under the leadership of Sustainability Director Dr. Beth Savan (also Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Environment), the University of Toronto Sustainability Office and campus community are engaged in creating a culture of sustainability by bridging the gap between sustainability research and institutional practice. In the longer term, the Office is working towards integrating environmental, social and economic sustainability into the policies, practices and culture of the University of Toronto, ultimately reducing the consumption of all resources. The Centre for Environment has been a key partner in the growth and success of the office over the past six years and continues to play an important role in our research and student engagement activities.
In the past year the Sustainability Office has engaged thousands of students through its programs; volunteer, employment and leadership opportunities; coursework; and independent research. One example is Annette Gagliano, a second-year B.Sc. Biochemistry student, who worked with the office as part of the ROP299 program in 2009-10 to research ways to reduce laboratory waste and hazardous material generated by U of T's laboratories.
In addition to providing students with valuable opportunities, the Office acts as an information resource for students, staff and faculty interested in campus sustainability. The Office's website (http://sustainability.utoronto.ca) saw a significant increase in traffic last year while its new Twitter account http://twitter.com/SustainableUofT) has proven very popular with over 550 followers. Also launched this year was the U of T Sustainability Wiki (http://sustainableuoft.pbworks.com/) which can be updated by anyone and is intended to be a repository of information on all aspects of sustainability at U of T. The wiki is an excellent example of collaboration with students and student groups; conceived at the Office, the project is now maintained by the University of Toronto Environmental Resource Network (UTERN).
Last year an exciting new paper reduction initiative was launched with workshops for instructors aimed at reducing course paper consumption and a pilot program at Gerstein Science Information Centre library. Working with students and library staff, a 30% reduction in library paper use was measured compared to last year. The program combined technical changes to printer settings with a complementary behavior change program to promote paper reduction and reuse. In the coming year we hope to expand the program to over 15 additional libraries, reaching an estimated 20,000-30,000 new students annually. We expect to reduce paper use at participating sites by up to 50% or 2 million sheets each year.
A new 100-panel solar-thermal system at the U of T Athletic Centre was also installed. The project, which is currently the largest known installation in the Greater Toronto Area or at any Canadian university, was implemented by the Dept. of Facilities & Services but was originally conceived by Ashley Taylor, a fourth-year Engineering student, as part of her thesis. Now employed as one of two Sustainability Coordinators at the Office, Ashley was able to continue to contribute to making her vision a reality.
The Sustainability Office's sustainability planning program has expanded significantly in the past year. The Office's model engages stakeholders in the creation of tailored, "living" sustainability plans for units within the university. In its role as facilitator, the Office can ensure best practices are followed and that lessons learned are shared among participants. Resources and recommended steps are available online, creating an efficient and accessible process which is nonetheless owned by the departmental planners, ensuring uptake and ongoing action. In the first year of the program, the Office has worked with five units, and several more are interested in joining in the coming year. This is a major step toward the ultimate goal of establishing sustainability plans for all university units. Information and preliminary steps for departments seeking develop plans of their own can be found on the Sustainability Office's website.
The Office looks forward to continued success working together with Centre for Environment's students and faculty on valuable campus sustainability initiatives. In the coming year, the Office will address energy conservation in students moving out into the community through an extention of its Rewire program called "Moving Out: Start Green". Through this program, and workshops being offered to other institutions, Rewire will build communities and enable significant energy savings beyond the thousands of residence students participating in the program today. Students interested in working with the Office on this and other exciting projects should visit the website in the early fall for Work-Study positions and throughout the year for other opportunities.
JP Davidson is Project Coordinator, Communications & Development at the Sustainability Office.