Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Ryerson University's Sustainability Office is committed to advancing sustainability on campus and within our community. We pursue opportunities to embed sustainability across all areas of the institution. Through projects that span operations, education and community partnerships, the goal of the office is to create a culture where sustainability is integrated into university life.

There are three full time staff and four part-time students who are employed in the Sustainability Office.

Ryerson’s Sustainability Office pursues opportunities to improve the sustainability of our campus, embracing the contributions of our entire community and serving as a catalyst for broader transformation.

Some accomplishments of the Sustainability Office within the previous three years include:

Four Stream Waste Receptacles: In 2019, Ryerson began the phasing in of new four stream waste receptacles which is part of our sustainability team’s campus-wide upgrade plan. Previously Ryerson relied on a three-stream waste system which separated waste destined to landfill, mixed paper, and bottles and cans. The new four-stream bins add an organics stream. This will reduce contamination between streams and decrease the amount of organics in landfill. The new receptacles feature updated signage to guide proper waste disposal.

Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan: In 2019, the Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan was led by the Energy Engineer who sits in the Sustainability Office in Coordination with Facilities Management and Development (FMD) in response to continued growth in campus energy demands and the university’s need for affordable, reliable supply of energy. The plan serves to help guide Ryerson’s efforts to reduce campus energy consumption, operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Sub-metering project: In 2018 and 2019, FMD installed sub-meters for each building in order to more accurately measure the energy consumption of each building. By individualizing this process rather than combining data from multiple buildings, our department can now make data-informed decisions by building rather than generalizing. This information will enable effective decision making when it comes to developing future energy conservation initiatives and targets, as well as identifying unusual energy consumption of individuals buildings more quickly.

Road Salt Reduction: In 2018/2019, Ryerson Urban Water (RUW) and FMD partnered with WWF-Canada on a project to reduce the university’s use of road salt in the winter.
- Groundskeeping staff created a liquid brine solution (a mixture of salt and water) and applied the spray solution to de-ice 20 locations on campus in anticipation of snowfalls and freezing rain. The Sustainability Office was engaged in the planning process and took responsibility for ordering materials, mixing and storing the anti-icing solution, maintaining equipment and applying the solution.
- Treating the Ryerson campus as a living lab, Dr. Oswald from Ryerson Urban Water and her team analyzed the data collected by FMD staff to study the safety, cost effectiveness and environmental impact of the liquid de-icer. The project demonstrated that the use of the brine solution reduced the salt applied to campus walkways and stairwells by 25% to 30% on average: a reduction of more than 6 tonnes of salt. It is noteworthy that with this new process in place, there were no increases in liability or complaints from community members in the 2019 winter.
- Salinization of groundwater and surface water pose risks to human and aquatic health. The project demonstrated that it’s possible to radically reduce the amount of salt used on roads and walkways without compromising safety on campus.
- The goals of the project were to evaluate the effectiveness of using anti-icing solutions in order to reduce the need for road salt on the Ryerson campus; and to promote road salt reduction to the public, private commercial property owners, water professionals and policy-and decision makers.

Role supports the development and implementation of the Sustainability Office engagement strategy that a) help build a culture of sustainability on campus, b) encourage high impact resource conservation behaviours, and c) support implementation of university sustainability plans and policies.

Role is responsible for guiding the strategic direction of the Ryerson Sustainability Office. This includes the development of institutional sustainability and climate action plans and strategies, setting targets and goals, implementing tactics/actions. The Manager is the primary representative and expert for internal and external relations in the area of institutional sustainability.

Role involves monitoring energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of all campus buildings at Ryerson. Role also involves identifying energy efficiency opportunities, quantifying energy and operational cost benefits, and working in conjunction with the Project Management Office to ensure successful completion of energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction initiatives on campus.