Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 61.29
Liaison Bonnie Dong
Submission Date Aug. 31, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

MacEwan University
OP-10: Biodiversity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Kalen Pilkington
Director of Sustainability
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution own or manage land that includes or is adjacent to legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, and/or regions of conservation importance?:
No

A brief description of the legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, and/or regions of conservation importance:
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Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify endangered and vulnerable species (including migratory species) with habitats on institution-owned or –managed land?:
Yes

Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify environmentally sensitive areas on institution-owned or –managed land?:
No

The methodologies used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or environmentally sensitive areas (including most recent year assessed) and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:

Being a Downtown Campus, MacEwan Campus Services and the Office of Sustainability referenced the Edmonton Area and Land Trust (EALT; 2015/16) as well as findings by the University of Alberta Science Department with regards to the decline of pollinators (2017).


A brief description of identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:

Reference was made to the general decline in pollinator populations (spring 2016). Pollinators include bats and birds, but the majority are insects – butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, and especially bees. Alberta is home to over 300 species of bees, most of which are solitary bees.


A brief description of plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:

MacEwan is constantly working on advancing and maintaining its naturalized landscapes thereby promoting the cultivation of plants which are indigenous to the region. In partnership with the Edmonton Area and Land Trust, we installed two bee hotels on our naturalized grounds which serve as nesting sites for solitary bees.- Solitary bees are the most efficient pollinators, about three times more efficient than the honeybees.
Lastly, when the city changed its bylaw and allowed beekeeping within the city, MacEwan University applied for a permit and launched its urban beekeeping project upon approval. The Office of Sustainability conducts tours and bee hotel construction workshops to raise awareness about pollinator conservation in the Edmonton area.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Additional website URLs where information about the programs or initiatives is available: www.macewaneats.ca
https://www.ealt.ca/ (2015/16, website information, ongoing)
GPRC National Bee Diagnostic Centre (2016, ongoing)
http://www.abmi.ca/home.html (2015/16, ongoing)

Native Pollinators and Agriculture in Canada (2014): https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/documents/AgCanadaNativePollinators.pdf

Indicators of native bee communities in Alberta’s agricultural zone (2017): https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/2ecaf796-7888-4698-a639-3ccd4babcf70 (2017)


Additional website URLs where information about the programs or initiatives is available: www.macewaneats.ca
https://www.ealt.ca/ (2015/16, website information, ongoing)
GPRC National Bee Diagnostic Centre (2016, ongoing)
http://www.abmi.ca/home.html (2015/16, ongoing)

Native Pollinators and Agriculture in Canada (2014): https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/documents/AgCanadaNativePollinators.pdf

Indicators of native bee communities in Alberta’s agricultural zone (2017): https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/2ecaf796-7888-4698-a639-3ccd4babcf70 (2017)

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.