Niagara College Canada
PAE-4: Sustainability Plan

The Sustainability Committee was responsible for overseeing the sustainability plan development which is comprised of many different departments within the college. Some of these include Facilities Management Services, Corporate Services, Marketing and Communications, the Student Administrative Council, the School of Environment and Horticultural, Construction Engineering Technologies, as well as students. The Sustainability Committee also engaged all staff at the 2011 Day of Reflection, inviting them to share what they would like to see integrated into the sustainability plan at Niagara College. The plan was also presented to the Board of Governors to ensure the plan was supported by the highest governing body at the college. The presentation also provided an opportunity for feedback. The committee has also set up an email address that welcomes ongoing feedback from all employees, students and community members.

The established environmental management system identified five key areas to which the Sustainability Committee set targets. The five key areas and associated targets are: Electricity Consumption (10% reduction), Waste Generation (65% diversion rate); Water Consumption (5% reduction); Carbon Emissions (10% reduction); Paper Consumption (50% reduction). To expand the plan further, the Sustainability Committee adopted a target of achieving bronze in STARS. All of these targets have been formally adopted by the Niagara College Board of Governors and are included in the 2013-2016 Strategic Plan.

All the targets are measured on an annual basis. Each target has a defined scope to ensure consistency on an annual basis. The Sustainability Committee is also required to provide the Board of Governors a report on an annual basis including progress, projects completed as well as anticipated projects that will contribute towards achieving the sustainability targets.