Mohawk College
EN-2: Student Orientation

The following section describes several in-person orientation activities conducted at the start of the 2019/20 academic year. The Sustainability Office fully intends to offer these in-person engagements once public health measures allow. Please see the final paragraph for an example of how the Sustainability Office continues to support a green orientation remotely.

The Sustainability Office leads a Greening Orientation Program in partnership with the Mohawk Students' Association. There is set fund of $17,000 which is used to support greening orientation and promoting sustainability in the campus. Each year the Greening Orientation focuses on reducing the amount of single use plastics on campus. Over 2000 incoming students sign a pledge that they would use reusable water bottles and go disposable water bottle free. As a reward they receive a free, reusable water bottle that can be used at the over 30 water refill stations across campus.

At this time students are given the opportunity to discuss sustainable campus features and programming with Sustainability staff. Brochures are given out which explore the topics of energy saving, local food, waste sorting and building operations. Special attention is given to informing students about energy saving habits within the net-zero carbon building, The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation.

Greening orientation also focuses on promoting and encouraging alternative transportation through collaboration with the City of Hamilton's public transit provider Hamilton Street Rail (HSR). We engage students about their current mode of transportation and educate them on all the alternative forms of transportation and programs we have to make it easier for students to get to and from campus sustainably.

Students can visit the Waste Sorting Tent to sort waste at a 4 stream station with instruction. Students are given the opportunity to earn prizes by answering waste sorting trivia.

At orientation students are exposed to the concept of local food through the Farm Stand exhibit. At Orientation, the farmstand hands local apples from Lincoln Line Orchard. It is not uncomon to engage over 1000 students on local food in Hamilton and how students can support local food and food security.

Last, with COVID-19 restrictions limiting in-person orientation, Sustainability was included in Mohawk College's online Future Ready Toolkit. Students are given tips how to be sustainable at home. The free online ""extra-curricular course"" called the Sustainable Leadership Program (SLP) is also advertised. The SLP course offers sustainable knowledge across 8 topical modules and can be completed in less than 10 hours. Students gain co-curricular recognition for completion."

A picture of a water bottle pledge https://www.instagram.com/p/BnWxi81HMMG/