| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 71.07 |
| Liaison | Michael Chapman |
| Submission Date | March 6, 2020 |
Nova Scotia Community College
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Martha
MacGowan Project Assistant- Sustainability Facilities & Engineering |
Has the institution held a sustainability-related outreach campaign during the previous three years that was directed at students and yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
Has the institution held a sustainability-related outreach campaign during the previous three years that was directed at employees and yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
Name of the campaign:
A brief description of the campaign:
In an effort to increase waste diversion from landfills, NSCC implemented a pack-it-in, pack it out campaign. This campaign has been refreshed on a regular basis, using posters and videos and is in place permanently at NSCC. Every NSCC campus does not have garbage receptacles in classrooms or offices. There are five-stream sorting stations in the halls and common areas for building occupants to use. This encourages building occupants to use a sorting station and anything that is taken into a classroom or office is taking back out and sorted at the sorting stations.
To measure the effectiveness, twice every academic year (once a semester), NSCC conducts campus-wide waste audits to determine waste diversion and reduction rates at each campus.
Every NSCC campus has installed recycling stations at strategic locations, and continually updates the signage to communicate the different waste streams. The signs are easy to read so staff and students can properly dispose of their waste.
When an audit is conducted, many campuses choose to complete them in a public space. For example, each year at our 3 campuses in the Annapolis Valley, audits are conducted in the gymnasiums during the "Sustainability Days" exhibition.
Student volunteers often assist in the audits and in the process learn about proper waste sorting techniques. At our Ivany and Strait Area Campuses the Industrial Engineering Technology and Natural Resources Environmental Technology students assist in the audits and use the data and results as part of class projects.
These audits are conducted to monitor our waste diversion and reduction efforts and to demonstrate proper waste management practices to our students and staff.
Pack it, Pack it out is advertised every year at NSCC, through continual monitor of waste diversion and reduction, displaying these results at events throughout the year (as mentioned above) and it is also advertised at student orientation on poster boards that were shared and discussed with students.
https://www.nscc.ca/about_nscc/sustainability/wastemanagement.asp
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
When first audited in 2012, NSCC diverted 68% of solid waste from Landfill. With our most recent waste audit for the 2018/19 academic year, our diversion rate has increased to a 75% overall. The college also started tracking waste reduction in 2016. In 2016 the college was disposing 26 kg of waste per person, per year. That mass has been reduced to 20 kg waste per person per year in 2018. This demonstrates the impact of the NSCC waste campaign and the importance of the audits for tracking progress.
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
During the summer (June through to August) of 2018 and again in 2019, NSCC ran an Energy Reduction Challenge. During the challenge, each campus was instructed to reduce electrical energy consumption. The numbers of kWh used were compared against the baseline year set in 2017. Energy reductions were accomplished through reduced cooling using ASHRAE guidelines for temperature setpoints, turning off refrigerators that are not being used, unplugging vending machines when they are not in use, shutting down air handling units overnight and using free cooling. Communications were sent out to staff to encourage energy reduction at each campus. At the end of each month, Facilities Managers were provided a report with how their campus' energy consumption compared to the 2017 baseline year. Most campuses reduced their power consumption. Those with higher consumption than previous years were due to major renovations taking place at the campus.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
NSCC's Manager of Physical Plant and Energy, Jim Farrell has implemented an energy reduction campaign spanning several years to increase engagement in energy management. The campaign is focused on reducing energy consumption compared to baseline data and is structured as a friendly competition between campuses. The 2018 winning campus of the Summer Energy Reduction Challenge reduced electrical consumption by 19.3% compared to baseline.
In 2019, the Summer Energy Reduction Challenge was communicated through Executive members of the College. Prior to this challenge, NSCC hired a third-party vendor to conduct energy assessments at various sites and report back with suggestions to reduce energy consumption. Employees were encouraged to submit their ideas for reducing energy consumption to an On-Site Energy Manager. If the idea was implemented, the person who made the suggestion received a prize.
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.