St. Lawrence College
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Sustainability Implementation Advisory Committee - Terms of Reference: 

Governance:
The Sustainability Implementation Advisory Committee consults with the College Leadership Team CLT, as appropriate, and provides recommendations for College Executive Team’s (CET) consideration.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide input on the membership of working groups as well as working group leads to develop and execute initiatives identified in the Sustainability Plan and supporting Implementation Framework.


• Report to the committee, initiatives that your team/department is already engaged in that align with the Sustainability Plan and supporting Implementation Framework.


• Review and provided feedback on the progress updates (including insights to address challenges) and deliverables provided by working groups and key leads.


• Provide guidance on increasing the uptake of sustainability initiatives by employees, faculty and students.


• Provide input on the development of recommendations for CET’s consideration.


• Annually the Sustainable Implementation Advisory Committee will prepare a report highlighting achievements and next steps to be shared with CLT, CET and others as appropriate.


• Support the collection of data to allow for the STARS interim (Silver 2023) and Gold (2024) submissions.


• Review meeting minutes and information provided to the team in advance of meetings


• Contribute to agenda items
  
  Meeting Frequency and Procedures:
  
  


• Two kick-off meetings will be held to review the Implementation Framework, Year initiatives, establish working groups and leads.


• Outside of the two kick-off meetings, subsequent meetings will take place monthly. Additionally meetings will be called as required at the discretion of the Chairs. Meetings will not be held between June and August to accommodate faculty and students.


• Working groups may meet monthly or as needed (to be determined by the group) and will have a co-chairsthat will report back to the committee via a written summary and or a brief in-person report/discussion.


• As requested, from time to time, guests may be invited to attend committee meetings to present information or act as resources. Guests will be non-voting. It is possible that a working group could be led by a non-team members.


• Agendas and supporting documentation will be made available to the Sustainable Implementation Advisory Team at least 3 business days in advance of a meeting.


• Meeting minutes will be taken to record discussions, and decisions and will be posted within 3 business days of the meeting.
  
  Reporting:
  
  


• As deemed appropriate recommendations, decisions, deliverables and/or updates coming from the work of this Team will be shared with Academic Council, Dean’s Council, Student Governments, CLT and CET as appropriate.


• Annually a report highlighting achievements and next steps will be shared with CLT, CET and others as appropriate.

SLC's Sustainability team is housed under Facilities Management Services. The team consists of two full-time staff members (one Sustainability Manager and one Sustainability Coordinator) with a Student Sustainability Assistant position (typically filled September - April). 

The Sustainability team has been collaborating with other departments within the St. Lawrence College community and local communities to advance the 2019-2027 Sustainability Plan. Examples of institution-wide activities and accomplishments include: 

• The Sustainability team is frequently invited to as a guest speaker in several classes tri-campus speaking about campus sustainability initiatives and the Sustainable Development Goals. The team is frequently asked to work directly with students pursuing class projects that advance sustainability (recent examples include examining the reusable container and cups program through a thesis study, a thesis study of waste diversion at SLC residences, and sustainability-centered capstone projects (these occur every semester and the sustainability is often asked to serve on the jury panel for the pitch competitions). 
  
  


• The Sustainability team also runs the SDG LABs training for the project management classes. This is a course requirement and a half day training session where students are provided with an in-depth overview of the SDGs and earn a certificate from SDG LABs for their participation in the program. The material learned is later applied to student projects for course credit. 
  
  


• The first Climate Leadership Program was completed in 2024. This new initative consisted of an 8-week mentorship and project development with a focus on sustainable action through an entrepreneurial lens. Students engaged with the sustainability team and the local community to understand the most pressing community isues through a sustainability lens. 14 students engaged with the program to date and nine teams of students presented to a diverse panel of judges for potential funding to then implement their projects.
  
  


• The SLC sustainability student club has grown from 19 members in September 2022 to 192 present day (April 2024). This club is supported by the sustainability team and engages in numerous community and college initiatives throughout the institution.
  
  


• In 2023 the Sustainability team led 17 different events or projects which directly worked/impacted over 1200 students, not including orientations which included 800 new students.
  
  


• In 2023 the development of the Sustainable Landscape Management Plan began. This plan prioritizes biodiversity and outdoor engagement for the entire institution. The plan has been created in consultation with a number of SLC departments who have participated in sessions, have provided feedback, and who are actively supporting the plan throughout the college. These partners include Health and Wellness, Indigenous Services, Student Success, Belong, People and Culture, and Academics.

Sustainability Manager - Position Summary:

Reporting to the Director, Facilities Management Services, the tri-campus Sustainability Manager will plan, coordinate, execute, monitor, and report progress of the College’s short and long-term sustainability initiatives.

The incumbent will work to have the College advance its ranking through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).

The incumbent will coordinate and promote current sustainability initiatives and emerging efforts within the College.

The incumbent will support sustainability initiatives across departments and campuses and will assist departments in integrating concepts of sustainability into their operations.

The incumbent will engage with departments and student groups across all campuses to increase awareness of sustainability initiatives and involvement in campus sustainability programs and initiatives.

The incumbent will organize and implement sustainability events and other sustainability educational opportunities on campus.

The incumbent will work to promote the College as a sustainability leader.

The incumbent will engage with external stakeholders to develop opportunities for the College to advance its sustainability goals and to position the College as a sustainability leader.

The incumbent will stay abreast of emerging sustainability issues.

The incumbent will work with FMS and the college overall to advance its greenhouse gas reduction goals.

The incumbent will ensure reporting compliance with existing and emerging government regulations/requirements.

The incumbent will manage the College’s sustainability budget and will provide oversight and direction to the Sustainability Coordinator as well as any sustainability student placements and bursary students.

Key Duties include:

1. College Sustainability Planning, Management, Engagement and Delivery:

• Plans, coordinates, executes, monitors and reports progress of the College’s short and long-term sustainability initiatives.


• Works to execute the current and ongoing SLC Sustainability targets and advances the College’s ranking under the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).


• Initiates new programs, awareness campaigns and policies to strengthen sustainable practices, awareness, and uptake across the organization.


• Advances the understanding and adoption of the UN Sustainability Development Goals.


• Works across the organization to provide collaboration and coordination and support for the advancement of sustainability.


• Works to advance the Footprint brand and awareness.


• Provides leadership and facilitation to the College Sustainability Plan Implementation Committee and working groups.


• Oversees the collection, synthesis, interpretation and dissemination of data and performance indicators.


• Organizes seminars, workshops, conferences (internal and with external organizations) in response to evolving needs and opportunities to enhance the SLC brand and leadership in sustainability.


• Delivers training and orientation on sustainability topics applicable to Student Life and College Operations.


• Manages the College Sustainability Budget.


• Communicates sustainability initiatives, programming and engagement through social media and other College outreach platforms. (65%)

2. Regulations and Reporting:

• Conducts the data collection, required analysis and regulator reporting of College’s energy consumption and GHG emissions as well as the collection of data and reporting to the Resource Production and Recovery Authority (RPRA). (10%)

3. Supervision, Mentorship and Guidance:

• Provides supervision, guidance, oversight and mentorship to the Sustainability Coordinator as well as any student placements and sustainability bursary students.


• Manages the College Green Fee program. (10%)

4. External Engagement and Collaboration:

• Liaise with counterparts at other educational institutions, businesses, government, and the community to stay current and to promote collaboration and information exchange to advance SLC leadership position in the area of sustainability.(5%)

5. College Sustainability Resource:

• Serves as the clearinghouse for requests for information related to sustainability issues at College. (5%)

6. Other Duties: Other duties as required to support FMS and advance sustainability tri-campus.

Reporting to the Sustainability Manager, the Sustainability Coordinator provides a range of analytical, communication and administrative support to the design, development and implementation of the Colleges’ sustainability plans, programs, initiatives, outreach, policies and guidelines. 

The incumbent supports the sustainability engagement strategy that is aimed at increasing awareness and engagement of the campus community and helps build a culture of sustainability on campus and position the college as a leader in sustainability within the wider college community. 

The incumbent develops content and communication materials for dissemination to the College community. 

The incumbent supports the timely submission of information to regulatory bodies (i.e. energy and greenhouse gas data; material resource data). 

The incumbent engages the College community to foster an understanding of sustainability and advance the College’s sustainability plan via social media, on-line and in-person presentations, written documents, podcasts and video.

The incumbent supports the programing and data collection required to meet the College’s short- and longer-term Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking and Ranking System (STARS) goals.

The incumbent creates and maintains professional relationships with students, faculty, staff and with the wider College community including external partners and other stakeholders. 

The incumbent coordinates, organizes, and facilitates workshops, seminars, conferences, and other special events to promote and advance sustainability.