Learning for Sustainability
At Loyalist, we strive to promote the principles of sustainability within the curriculum in order to equip our students with the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute to a better future. To this end, we have added Sustainability as a criterion for our quality assurance processes to ensure that every program we offer exposes its students to the principles of sustainability.
Loyalist achieves Bronze Rating for its sustainability efforts!
Loyalist completed a baseline test for its sustainability performance to pinpoint what’s going well and where improvements can be made. Using AASHE’s Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), a voluntary rating system designed for higher education, the College reported achievements in four overall areas:
- Operations
- Academics
- Engagement
- Planning and administration.
The result: a Bronze rating for the College’s sustainability efforts!
Loyalist’s full STARS report can be found on AASHE’s website.
Sustainability Planning
Sustainability Policy – Outlining Loyalist’s policy on the economic, environmental and socio-cultural pillars of sustainability.
Loyalist 2020 Strategic Plan – A top priority for the College, sustainability has been identified as one of three strategic directions in the College’s 2020 Strategic Plan, which frames the organization’s actions and directions.
Sustainability Communications Plan – Loyalist has a comprehensive plan for communicating its sustainability initiatives in order to demonstrate long-term responsibility. It outlines the strategies and tactics for facilitating information exchange, which is paramount to internal and external stakeholder communities. It also helps to promote interest and the evolution of a culture of mindfulness in staff and students.
Past Sustainability Initiatives
Water Bottle Taste Test – Loyalist Eco-Reps held a taste test between four different water bottle brands and the hydration station water at Loyalist College to demonstrate how the water here tastes just as good as bottled water. The purpose of the event was to bring awareness to water issues as well as encourage students to use reusable water bottles instead of disposable ones.
Quinte Repair Café – With community partners Quinte Waste Solutions and Bay of Quinte Region, Loyalist hosted the region’s first Repair Café – a pop-up event where residents can bring in their broken or damaged household items and repair them with the help of a local repair specialist. Loyalist’s Sustainability Steering Committee provided financial support and faculty members Tom Falcao and Chuck Barsony volunteered their time and knowledge as “fixers.” The Café, held in October 2014, was a huge success with over 100 visitors, 30+ items either repaired or diagnosed for repair, and 264 lbs of material diverted from landfill as a result of on-site repair/diagnosis.
Quinte Region Bike Summit – Loyalist was a member of the organizing committee for the region’s first bike summit which brought together cycling and active transportation experts and community participants to learn how to make Quinte a more bike-friendly community.
Quinte Trash Bash Campus Clean-Up – Loyalist joined the community-wide event to celebrate Earth Day by engaging staff in a spring clean-up on campus. We collected 16 bags of recycling, 14 bags of garbage, a toaster, some pots and pans and even a BlackBerry!
Laser Printer Removal – The College has removed 285 laser printers from campus, resulting in a 55% reduction in energy consumption, 62% reduction in solid waste, 68% reduction in greenhouse emissions and 30% reduction in paper.
Waste Electronics Collection Fundraiser – Electronic waste from the community was collected by post-grad Public Relations students on March 10, 2012 in partnership with Quinte Waste Solutions and Ontario Electronic Stewardship. The money raised from the project helped send two children to Camp Trillium.
Living Green in Quinte – Loyalist hosted, sponsored and organized Living Green in Quinte, formerly known as the Sustainable Living Symposium, for several years from 2008 to 2011. The two-day event was focused on living a greener lifestyle and featured a wide range of experts on green topics such as solar, wind and geothermal technologies, straw bale construction, hybrid vehicles, and more. In 2012, Loyalist hosted a Living Green dinner.
Drive to Survive – Hosted by the Motive Power Technician class during the College’s Spring Open House on April 16, 2011, students conducted oil changes, performed diagnostic procedures and inspected emission-related components to help members of the public to recognize the role that their automobiles play in the release of greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global warming.
Switching Gears – During a week-long event in 2011, students and staff were encouraged to use alternate forms of transportation including walking, cycling, carpooling, or city bus. Each day, a different mode of transportation was highlighted and the eco-friendly benefits displayed in the cafeteria. Participants were provided with tracking sheets that allowed organizers to monitor the amount of CO2 emissions that were saved as a result of the campaign.
Campus Clean-Up Day – Members of the Loyalist College community participated in a Campus Clean-Up Day. In cooperation with second-year Waste Management students in the Environmental Studies program, this clean-up initiative was in collaboration with the College’s Respectful College Community Committee and the Sustainability Steering Committee.
Energy Efficiency – Loyalist College was recognized by Natural Resources Canada for Energy Efficiency.