| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.93 |
| Liaison | Emily Zabanah |
| Submission Date | Feb. 1, 2024 |
Seneca Polytechnic
EN-10: Community Partnerships
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 3.00 |
Paula
Echeveste Sustainability Specialist - Engagement & Outreach Office of Sustainability |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
1st Partnership
Seneca's United Way Campaign
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? :
Yes
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe?:
Multi-year or ongoing
Which of the following best describes the partnership?:
Sustainability-related
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? :
No
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability:
With the Seneca United Way Campaign Senecans can come together to donate, volunteer and give back. This is the change to support the community that they live and work in and the 250 United Way agencies that work in priority neighborhoods in the Greater Toronto Area. During the campaign Senecans, are encouraged to organize fundraising events and/or donate.
For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/support/support-a-project/seneca-united-way.html
For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/support/support-a-project/seneca-united-way.html
2nd Partnership
Just Vertical
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (2nd partnership):
Yes
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (2nd partnership):
Multi-year or ongoing
Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (2nd partnership):
Sustainability-focused
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (2nd partnership):
No
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
Seneca has worked with Just Vertical to transform two shipping containers outside of Odeyto at Newnham campus into a research and commercial hub. The space will provide ample research, learning and engagement opportunities for students in agriculture and business practices, as well as grow delicious produce offered at the cafeteria.
Seneca purchased the Just Vertical technology to retrofit two shipping containers; the bottom floor is focused on commercial growing for the campus cafeteria, and the top floor is used for urban agriculture research. Just Vertical also provides their training, technical and professional support for the ongoing operations of the farm. Just Vertical and Seneca conduct research individually as well as conduct joint projects, creating synergies in funding opportunities and resources. Seneca research assistants support both research endeavours.
This infrastructure supports the development of the Seneca Centre for Innovation in Micro Farming (SCIM), an expanding area of research at Seneca. The goal of SCIM is to support multi-disciplinary research and includes expertise from several schools at Seneca including life sciences, engineering, data sciences, information technology, community services, biology and applied chemistry and environmental sciences. This makes it possible to support advancements in micro farming by farmers and farming technology companies as well as partners from other sectors, while bringing benefit to students through experiential learning, as well as to Canadian businesses who receive the research results. Some of the collaborative projects directly relevant to sustainability are looking at optimizing plant nutrition in urban farming by changing the growing conditions, which will provide healthy, local food to urban populations, and testing technologies that can reduce energy costs of running container farms.
Seneca purchased the Just Vertical technology to retrofit two shipping containers; the bottom floor is focused on commercial growing for the campus cafeteria, and the top floor is used for urban agriculture research. Just Vertical also provides their training, technical and professional support for the ongoing operations of the farm. Just Vertical and Seneca conduct research individually as well as conduct joint projects, creating synergies in funding opportunities and resources. Seneca research assistants support both research endeavours.
This infrastructure supports the development of the Seneca Centre for Innovation in Micro Farming (SCIM), an expanding area of research at Seneca. The goal of SCIM is to support multi-disciplinary research and includes expertise from several schools at Seneca including life sciences, engineering, data sciences, information technology, community services, biology and applied chemistry and environmental sciences. This makes it possible to support advancements in micro farming by farmers and farming technology companies as well as partners from other sectors, while bringing benefit to students through experiential learning, as well as to Canadian businesses who receive the research results. Some of the collaborative projects directly relevant to sustainability are looking at optimizing plant nutrition in urban farming by changing the growing conditions, which will provide healthy, local food to urban populations, and testing technologies that can reduce energy costs of running container farms.
3rd Partnership
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Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (3rd partnership):
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Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (3rd partnership):
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Which of the following best describes the partnership? (3rd partnership):
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Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (3rd partnership):
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A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
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Optional Fields
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Website URL where information about the institution’s community partnerships to advance sustainability is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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