Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 46.94
Liaison William Clancey
Submission Date Feb. 7, 2020
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Durham College
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Tanya Roberts
Sustainability Coordinator
Facilities Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have one or more active student groups focused on sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of active student groups focused on sustainability:

Student Green Team - DC's prime student focused group dedicated to Sustainability and eligible for co-curricular points.
Centre for Food Society - Networking/Leadership Club for DC's CFF students
Vegan Club
Good Deeds and Sustainability Club


The website URL where information about the student groups is available (optional):
Does the institution have gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:

The W. Galen Weston Centre for Food (CFF) is Durham Region’s first-ever post-secondary presence focused on the field-to-fork concept. The CFF, a Green Restaurant Association (GRA) 3-star certified facility, can accommodate approximately 900 students studying in cohesive programs based on the field-to-fork concept, completing the full supply chain cycle from sustainable farming practices to the processing, preparation, serving and celebration of local food.


The website URL where information about the gardens, farms or agriculture projects is available (optional):
Does the institution have student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes (e.g. cafés through which students gain sustainable business skills)?:
Yes

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:

DC's Fast Start office and entrepreneurship program host an Enactus chapter at the college.

Operating out of their home in the 360insights Entrepreneurship Centre, DC student entrepreneurs volunteer their time to work collaboratively to create non-profit and social enterprise businesses and projects that have a positive and measurable impact on our community, and on the world! They do some amazing work and have the opportunity to travel to regional and national competitions during the year.


The website URL where information about the student-run enterprises is available (optional):
Does the institution have sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:

Durham College has formed various partnerships with local processors and asset recovery companies to ensure all electronic waste and surplus asset items are recycled locally, and in a sustainable way. The Sustainability office, in partnership with the Information Technology Services and Finance departments, has created a program that ensures a small revenue stream is generated back into a sustainability fund for student projects and sustainability initiatives.


The website URL where information about the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives is available (optional):
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Does the institution have conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability:

On September 20, 2017 the Sustainability Office in partnership with the First Peoples Indigenous Centre hosted a session with Joseph Pitawanakwat who specializes in plant-based medicine.

In May 2019, Durham College coordinated & hosted the Regional Envirothon:
Envirothon gets high school students outdoors, to experience nature first hand and hands on! Envirothon is a unique team competition that rewards students for learning about the natural world around them. Local conservation organizations partner to provide students with interactive field trips and workshops to help them understand forests, soils, wildlife, aquatic ecosystems and the human impact on all of the things we value in nature. Envirothon uses field testing to develop critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork and communication skills.

The Ontario Envirothon builds environmental awareness and leadership among high school youth through practical, hands-on educational experiences, enabling them to make informed, responsible decisions that benefit the earth and society.

Program objectives are:

to increase students’ awareness of the natural balance and complexity of environmental ecosystems;
to increase students’ understanding of basic science concepts in the areas of forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology, and soil, together with a current environmental issue each year;
to provide opportunity for students to experience differing views and concepts relative to environmental issues;
to provide opportunity for students to experience new ideas, geography, and cultures throughout Ontario and North America.


The website URL where information about the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability is available (optional):
Does the institution have cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability:

Campus market: Launched in 2015 in partnership with our campus partner Ontario Tech University and Aramark’s Eat Local Initiative. The market has been hosted every year in late summer or early fall and since 2018 it has been exclusively hosted by Ontario Tech in the Polonsky Commons

Thrift swap: Durham College hosts a bi-annual thrift swap event in partnership with our campus partners Ontario Tech University and campus residences. These events take place at the end of each semester and allow students to drop-off or pick-up any used or end-of-life items for reuse. Any remaining items get donated to a local thrift shop.


The website URL where information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available (optional):
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Does the institution have wilderness or outdoors programs (e.g. that organize hiking, backpacking, kayaking, or other outings for students) that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
No

A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:

N/A


The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors programs is available (optional):
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Does the institution have sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences (e.g. choosing a sustainability-related book for common reading)?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
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The website URL where information about the sustainability-related themes is available (optional):
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Does the institution have programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:

Durham College hosts an online course created and taught by one of our Sustainability ambassadors titled "Greening your Life" (GNED1521). In 2018, the Sustainability Coordinator also taught a section of this course.


The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills programs is available (optional):
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:

The DC sustainability office hires work-study students part-time, when possible.


The website URL where information about the student employment opportunities is available:
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Does the institution have graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
No

A brief description of the graduation pledges:

N/A


The website URL where information about the graduation pledges is available (optional):
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Does the institution have other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives?:
Yes

A brief description of the other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:

The Student Green Team is recognized under the Co-Curricular program.


The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available (optional):
Estimated percentage of students (full-time and part-time) that participate annually in sustainability-focused co-curricular education and outreach programs (0-100):
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.