Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 71.07
Liaison Michael Chapman
Submission Date March 6, 2020

STARS v2.2

Nova Scotia Community College
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Martha MacGowan
Project Assistant- Sustainability
Facilities & Engineering
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Is the institution currently a member of a national or international higher education sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)


Does the institution actively participate in a regional, state/provincial, or local higher education sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):

The Atlantic Canada Universities and Colleges Sustainability Network (AUCSN) was created in 2008 to facilitate information sharing and cooperative initiatives among post-secondary institutions in the region. Membership is open to universities and colleges located in Atlantic Canada. NSCC attends and hosts get-togethers for this group regularly. Sustainability best practices are discussed, issues explored relevant to members and collaborative initiatives are facilitated.

For the past 10 years, NSCC has been a member of Canada Green Building Council. This council’s mission is to lead and accelerate the transformation to high-performing, healthy green buildings, homes and communities throughout Canada

NSCC is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). NSCC representatives have attended and some years presented at the annual conference since 2012. The objective of the conference is to attend educational sessions relating to sustainability in post-secondary institutions, and to share ideas with other colleges and universities to help build campus sustainability.

In October 2018, NSCC was also invited as the only external visitor to the “Building Collaborative Communities, navigating challenges, charting innovations” California State University Facilities Management Conference.


Has the institution presented at a higher education sustainability conference during the previous year?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):

In spring 2019, NSCC presented to the AUCSN and discussed our Sustainable Building Practices with the network. Environmental Engineer Kirk Herman presented on NSCC's experience with LEED certification for new construction in pat projects, and shared a draft of NSCC's Sustainable Construction Guidelines, which expand upon best practices seen in the LEED program (Integrated Design, Energy Modelling, and prescriptive requirements), and aim to embed these sustainable design and construction practices in all capital projects, regardless of scope or participation in certification programs such as LEED.


Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to an external higher education sustainability resource center or awards program?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the sustainability resource center or awards program and submission(s):

In September 2019, NSCC was awarded the Atlantic Chapter of Canada Green Building Council’s “Green Building Excellence- New Construction or Commercial award” for the NSCC – Pictou Trades Wing project. This award is presented to the team responsible for a new commercial or institutional (hospital, government building or academic institution) project which demonstrates optimal building performance and occupant satisfaction.


Has the institution had employees or students serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):

NSCC’s Manager of Infrastructure and Sustainability is on a subcommittee of the Atlantic Canada Universities and Colleges Sustainability Network (AUCSN). The subcommittee is focused on sustainable procurement.

The president of NSCC, Don Bureaux, is a member of the Board of Directors for Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan). CICan is a voluntary membership organization that represents publicly represented colleges, institutes, cegeps, and polytechnics in Canada and internationally. CICan promotes and supports the innovations, applied research, international development, and employment and entrepreneurial opportunities created by its member institutions.

NSCC is also on a Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) federally funded working group, the ImpAct initiative. Inspired by CICan’s 5-year Strategic Plan 2019-2024, the ImpAct initiative, backed by the McConnell Foundation and placed under the patronage of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, aims to support colleges and institutes in achieving their shared vision of Better Futures for Peoples and Communities. This project builds on the common values and aspirations of CICan members and is designed to amplify the college and institute system’s contributions to economic and social development, community well-being and a sustainable future by supporting deliberate and collaborative approaches. The working group will monitor progress and support Colleges across Canada in their work towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.


Does the institution have an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution through which it assists the institution with its sustainability reporting and/or the development of its sustainability program?:
Yes

A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:

NSCC has partnered with Cape Breton University's (CBU) international students to mentor them in waste management and assist in improving the University's waste sorting and management practices. This is part of an Enactus project (https://enactus.org/who-we-are/our-story/).

CBU students reached out to NSCC after observing our waste sorting systems and sought NSCC's guidance and advice on how they could initiate these practices at their campus. The CBU students were mentored by the NSCC waste auditor on how to complete waste audits and track results over time in order for them to initiate a similar program at CBU.


Has the institution had employees or students serving as peer reviewers of another institution’s sustainability data and/or STARS submission during the previous three years?:
No

A brief description of the peer review activities:
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A brief description of other inter-campus collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year :
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Website URL where information about the institution’s inter-campus collaborations is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.