Sustainability assessment under way
September is back to school month, and while everyone is focused on getting their required course and credits, Sustainable Concordia will be working to ensure the university itself is on track with getting its own set of credits – 180 to be exact.
Not only will 2012 mark the 10-year anniversary of Sustainable Concordia, it also coincides with the release of the university’s fourth sustainability assessment — a comprehensive report that evaluates the university across all sectors to identify its progress and development as a sustainable institution, and to make recommendations on how it can continue to improve.
The assessment is currently under way with the information-gathering stage, which is being conducted by Concordia’s sustainability assessment coordinators, Ashley Finlayson and Justin Giovannetti.
In addition to collecting data, Sustainable Concordia will be hiring 12 to 15 student interns to help with best practice research — that is, to look into what other schools are doing in order to compare Concordia’s progress.
“This will help us determine feasible recommendations ... in terms of moving forward,” says Finlayson. It will also provide a system of checks and balances when compared with the results of previous years. “It will show us, are we as sustainable as we think we are? Do we still have the same values that we had three years ago?”
Using the STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System) framework and working closely with both students and administration, the assessment evaluates Concordia’s sustainability progress in three sectors: education, building operations, and planning and engagement. This assures the university is evaluated across the board — from curriculum and research, to energy consumption and greenhouse emissions, to social elements, such as pay equity and gender equity. These sectors are then given a credit rating, which total up to 180.
Finlayson says that student input is critical to the success of the assessment. “Sustainability is a long-term thing. It never ends. So we constantly need to have students engaged and involved.”
New this year is an emphasis on student engagement through social media. Sustainable Concordia will be connecting with students via a Facebook page, Twitter feed, and Tumblr blog. “We really want students to use the tools and to consult the assessment,” says Finlayson. “Students can also use the data as a reference for research. They are really good as a starting point for ideas for research projects, because we will be identifying gaps.”
Rick Young, interim director of environmental health and safety, says the assessment helps to build a stronger and more diverse community at Concordia. “It opens our eyes and makes us aware of sustainability initiatives so that they can continue to develop going forward.”
Beginning October 12, Sustainable Concordia will present their preliminary findings to an internal committee made up of a variety stakeholders and department heads. The final report will be published online in January.
“It’s a movement that requires the work of a lot of people. That’s why the students are so key. We need to make sure we are getting them rooted in the cause so that it carries over,” says Finlayson. “If no one carries the torch, then it doesn’t work.”
Related links:
• Sustainable Concordia
• Previous sustainability assessments
• Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System