Brock University
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) published a Strategic Plan 2018-2023 that focuses on advancing environmental sustainability locally and globally through excellence in research and education. Three complementary objectives guide the ESRC and the corresponding activities that will be undertaken during the next five years.

- To encourage research excellence in environmental sustainability by faculty, libraries and students.
- To enable enriching educational experiences in environmental sustainability.
- To engage in knowledge mobilization and foster knowledge impacts.

https://brocku.ca/esrc/wp-content/uploads/sites/75/Brock_ESRC_Strategic_Plan_2018-2023_web.pdf

Energy awareness and communication is one of the 5 objectives set within the Brock Energy Conservation and Demand Management (ECDM) 2016 plan. Brock University has set to engage the community to maximize benefits of the objectives demonstrated within the ECDM. The following initiatives are underway to provide on-going communication and seek input from all members of the Brock Community:

- Collaborating with Brock’s Sustainability Committee to develop a communication plan and engagement strategy to be rolled out to entire Brock community
- Generating annual updates of the Energy Performance Scorecard, which will then be distributed to the Brock Community
- Completing annual waste audits and communicating the results and successes
- Creating and implementing Solid Waste Reduction Action Plans and a Solid Waste Management Policy
- Providing strategically located dashboards on-campus that provide information on baseline building energy consumption data and encourage the engagement of stakeholders
- Providing energy awareness and management training opportunities for Facilities Management staff across all disciplines
- Providing forums for engaging the Brock Community to share energy and water conservation ideas
- Engaging Horizon Utilities to explore the opportunity for an Embedded Energy Manager (EEM)
- Conducting energy audits for Brock buildings and integrating the results into the annual Capital Planning process

Website & Social Media:
The new Sustainability at Brock website launched in 2016. Social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram platforms were created in May 2018 to share information about research, programs, news, and events. The team of student staff members hired via the Brock University Project Charter engage in writing news stories, creating videos, and social media posts. Engagement will be monitored through the number of likes, page visits, retweets, and shares received on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram respectively.

https://brocku.ca/sustainability/wp-content/uploads/sites/64/2018-362-MAESD-Sustainability-Plan-FINAL-digital-REV.pdf

Brock University published an Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan in 2019, which outlines the objectives created and updated in accordance with Brock’s commitment to energy management and the priorities of the University. The goals of this plan are the following:

1. Generation: Improving the efficiency and diversity of on-site energy generation;
2. Operations: Smart and efficient building operations and renewal;
3. Procurement: Leveraging strategic and collaborative procurement of energy and carbon instruments;
4. Education: Raising awareness and promoting engagement of the Brock Community in energy conservation;
5. Buildings: Energy efficient design, construction, and renovation of buildings.

The following goals will support the implementation of measures that will help achieve Brock University’s objectives.

a. Demonstrate leadership in energy and GHG emissions management in the sector, increasing the participation of the Brock Community in energy and emission reduction efforts;
b. Reduce GHG emission intensity (GHGEI) by 20% below 2013 baseline levels by 2023;
c. Maintain a cost-effective, reliable, and resilient energy supply to campus;
d. Enhance energy and data management processes to maximize opportunities for conservation and efficiency;
e. Improve the operation of existing buildings and design new buildings to be energy efficient while incorporating alternative and low-carbon sources of energy.

https://brocku.ca/sustainability/wp-content/uploads/sites/64/2019-559-ECDM-Report-Update.v1.pdf

Brock University’s Canada Research Chairs Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan, submitted to the Canada Research Chairs Secretariat, June 2020, addresses diversity, equity, and inclusion (EDI). The Plan outlines how Brock University’s institutional supports for existing, nominated, and future Chairholders are, and will continue to be, in compliance with the Canada Research Chairs Program and other accepted provincial, federal, and community practices for supporting EDI.

Five identified goals are the foundation for this EDI Action Plan:

1. Ensure Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion are Embedded in Institutional Strategic Planning
2. Collect Current and Relevant Data Regarding the Needs of Designated Employment Equity-Seeking Groups
3. Increase Diversity Across the Complement of Canada Research Chairholders
4. Create a Supportive and Inclusive Workplace for Chairholders
5. Support Indigenous Scholars and Indigenous Engagement

https://brocku.ca/brock-news/2019/05/brock-endorses-new-equity-diversity-and-inclusion-charter/
https://brocku.ca/policies/wp-content/uploads/sites/94/Employment-Equity-Policy.pdf

PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT/ACKNOWLEDGEMENT - From the Brock University Sustainability Plan

Brock is a comprehensive university with its main campus in a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve (BR). Our location informs our relationship to the environment and commitment to environmental sustainability through our transdisciplinary approach to supporting student success, regional economic growth, and community development.

Environmental sustainability is fundamental to everything we do at Brock! This report conveys our achievements regarding environmental sustainability and our balanced approach to supporting Ontario’s future. As per the requirements of the Greenhouse Gas Campus Retrofit Program (GGCRP), it specifically communicates what we are doing in our efforts towards: energy conservation and GHG emission reduction; environmental sustainability management; and, education for sustainability.

Brock University is making the decisions today for a sustainable and vibrant future tomorrow. We are contributing to post-secondary education; student academic and professional development; research and innovation; regional community vitality, along with our commitment to environmental sustainability; and economic competitiveness. We look forward to building upon our current efforts. In moving forward, we will broadly engage the Brock community and thereby advance environmental sustainability across our functions in innovative and exciting ways.

Brock’s Sustainability Policy defines sustainability as the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Brock University was a formal signatory on the Council of Ontario Universities Going Greener Pledge in 2009. In 2009, when this pledge was signed, Brock was one of 17 universities in Ontario who had implemented a formal written policy and was also a signatory the declaration of commitment to promote environmental sustainability or stewardship.

https://brocku.ca/sustainability/wp-content/uploads/sites/64/Sustainability-Policy-CIC-approved-March-9-2016.pdf

An update to the policy (linked above) is currently in the review/approval process.

Brock’s highest guiding document is the Brock University Strategic Plan, which references stewardship and not sustainability as a guiding value. This plan outlines 8 guiding values that demonstrate Brock’s commitment to make a positive difference in the lives of our students, staff, faculty and communities on a daily basis. One of the guiding values is sustainable, accountable, and transparent stewardship; this guiding value notes the role that Brock University plays as stewards of public and private resources, as well as accountability for our performance, and ensuring we evaluate the impact of our actions on our human, financial and environmental resources to guarantee that the outcomes will be sustainable and form a solid academic foundation for our future scholarly endeavours.