Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 46.07
Liaison Michelle McCollum
Submission Date April 30, 2020

STARS v2.2

George Brown College
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Stephanie Foster
Green Team/Sustainability Coordinator
George Brown College
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Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
Yes

The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:

The College's Green Team was disbanded in 2018 and replaced by a special Task Force that developed the current (interim) Sustainability Plan. Former Green Team members were involved in the consultation process to develop the new Sustainability as were other bodies such as College Council, the Deans' Academic Management Committee and the Academic Chairs and Directors Team (ACDT).


Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:

Sustainability Plan (2019-22) Task Force
Chair, Karen Thomson, V.P, Corporate Services
Project Manager: Stephanie Foster, Sustainability Coordinator
Members:
Asim Ayub, Manager, Environmental Services,
Tammy Cook, Director, Facilities Management and Planning
Mark Dos Reis, Group Marketing Manager
Gerard Hayes, Director, Student Services and Business Services
Wray Hodgson, Manager, Purchasing, Finance Depart
Sandra Neill, Curriculum Specialist, Office of Academic Excellence
David Parker, Professor, Centre for Preparatory and Liberal Studies (CPLS)
Dilip Parmar, Campus Manager, Waterfront Services
Mark Sear, Manager, IT Service Delivery, ITS
Brian Stock, Director, Corporate Communications
Ex-Officio: Rick Huijbregts, V.P. Strategy and Innovation

Additional Acknowledgements:
George Brown College Green Team
College Council
Academic Management Committee (AMC)
Academic Chairs and Directors Team (ACDT)
Chartwells Food Services


Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent employee?:
No

A brief description of each sustainability office:
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Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
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Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Yes

Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Stephanie Foster, Sustainability Coordinator

Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution?:
Yes

A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:

Following conclusion of the College's five year Green Plan (2012-17)the current Sustainability was developed to guide the College's sustainability planning in advance of the broader College effort to develop a new ten year Strategic plan (Strategy 2022/Vision 20203). While much of the "low hanging fruit" was picked during the Green Plan years, the current Sustainability Plan focused on areas where incremental efforts could result in tangible environmental improvements and eco-footprint reduction strategies.

Here are some highlights:
Reduced Paper Consumption:
• 50% reduction in photocopy use due to increased faculty use of Blackboard from 40 - 70% since 2017 and general awareness building across all College departments.
- 85% and a dramatic reduction in use of paper for mailing (for example the Registrars' office reduced its mailings by 85% which also reduced the cost of such mailings. Similarly the Continuing Education department reduced its mailing by 50%. IN the Finance Department, Purchasing significantly reduce paper use and mailing by paying key vendors using on-line e-payments.

Waste Reduction and Recycling:
• The College has exceeded its goal by achieving a 76% diversion rate as of December 2019. This was achieved through improved signage and diversion programs including a major effort in the Centre for Culinary Arts to reduce food waste, move to almost 100% compostable serviceware and repurposing food waste for resale or donation. Other specialty waste interventions include the recycling program in the Dental Clinic, collection and pelletization of wood/sawdust in the Carpentry Apprenticeship Labs and recycling of nitrile gloves in the Nursing Simulation labs.
LEAF Certification:
• The Centre for Culinary Arts Sustainability Blueprint is a plan that includes goals to reduce single use plastics, reduce food waste, increasing sustainability content and courses, increase local food purchases and achieve 100% sustainable seafood purchasing. All this work culminated in the fact that the Chef School culinary labs and retail operations (The Café, Chef on the Go and The Chefs House Restaurant) successfully achieved Level 1 certification as part of LEAF (Leadership in Environmentally Accountable Food Services – www.LEAFme.org) Work is underway with a view to achieve level 3 designation in 2020.

Sustainability Scholarship:
In 2019 the College launched the Sustainability Scholarship which is funded by rebates that the College receives for environmental initiatives such as e-waste recycling/reselling and meeting the incentive goals of the Staples 50 Green Green program for office supplies. In accordance with the College’s policies and procedures on student awards, the Award shall be awarded annually, when possible, by the College to students of the College who meet the following criteria:

- Registered, full-time, domestic and/or international student
•Must be in good academic standing with a minimum program GPA of 3.0 or higher
•Demonstrate an innovative idea related to environmental, social or economic sustainability through his/her applied research activity, in-class or capstone project
•Demonstrate a passion for their field of study


Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Sustainability Coordinator

Job description for the sustainability officer position:
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Job description for the sustainability officer position:

GBC Sustainability Coordinator Job Description
- Oversee and manage implementation of the College’s Sustainability Plan 2019 programs, initiatives and learning at the College in order to achieve the 2030 goal that sustainability be a “foundation of success”.
Sustainability Coordination:
- Collaborate with College departments as appropriate to develop and implement/coordinate sustainability programs and initiatives as per the objectives of the College’s Sustainability Plan:
• Be a resource to Academic Centres helping them to develop and implement actions plans (Sustainability Blueprints) for integration of sustainability principles into their operations and/or curriculum.
• Provide support as required to the Office of Academic Excellence regarding integration of sustainability in the Program Review Process.
• Support the Department of Facilities Management in implementing measures to support the College’s Sustainability Plan goals, especially related to waste management and recycling, energy management/greenhouse gas reduction, housekeeping/cleaning services, water consumption and sustainable transportation.
• Support the Department of Campus Planning implementing measures to support the College’s Sustainability Plan goals, especially related to renovations and new building planning.
• Support the College’s Business Services and Information Technology Departments in implementing measures to support the College’s Sustainability Plan especially related to paper consumption, food services.
• Support the College’s Campus Life and Student Success Department in delivering student sustainability engagement and co-curricular initiatives such as the WWF Living Planet @ Campus Student Leadership program.
• Provide input to the Finance Department to review RFQ/RFP submissions for sustainability related contracts such as for electronic waste management, solid waste management and recycling, and housekeeping.
• Work with the Purchasing Department to implement procurement objectives identified in Sustainability Plan.
• Provide support and advice to the College’s senior management and other stakeholders as required on institutional and policy issues, and strategic initiatives, related to sustainability.

Data Management and Sustainability Reporting:
• Collect data, analyze and track progress to achieving Sustainability Plan goals (Eco-Footprint Reduction, Education and Engagement) to assess program effectiveness.
• Report annually on Sustainability Plan actions and accomplishments to internal and external audiences.

Sustainability Engagement and Outreach:
• Engage and educate College stakeholders about the Sustainability Plan via regular communications and updates, events and social media. Ensure that the College’s sustainability web-pages are kept up-to-date.
• Organize College-wide campaigns (calls to action) and initiatives to support Sustainability Plan goals.
• Share information about the College’s Sustainability Plan at events such as New Employee Orientation, Inter-Session Events, Student Orientation and Service Fairs, and special events (e.g., Earth Hour, Sustainability Showcase, Cycling Workshops, etc.)
• Share information about the College’s Sustainability Plan and from time to time seek feedback/input from College stakeholders via College Council, AMC, CMC, ACDT and/or Board of Governors.
• Represent George Brown College on the Association of Ontario College’s and Universities Sustainability Professionals (OCUSP).
Student Support:
- In collaboration with the Faculty Advisor and the Student Association Clubs Network, provide support and guidance to the student Sustainability Squad and others on student led sustainability initiatives and events.
- In collaboration with the Campus Life office, support the College’s participation in WWF Canada’s Living Planet @ Campus student leadership program and The George Environmental Sustainability Club.
Other duties:
- Research potential funding opportunities to support future Sustainability Plan projects and related initiatives.
- Monitor best practices related to sustainability at the College’s benchmark/ peer institutions and make recommendations for new sustainability programming and modifications to existing programs.


Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
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Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
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Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability coordination is available:
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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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