University of Saskatchewan
PAE-1: Sustainability Coordination

The mission of the Sustainability Commitment Working Group (SCWG) is to engage the university and its extended community in all aspects of sustainability and collectively develop a University of Saskatchewan sustainability plan.

With the support of its sub-committees that have involved more than 30 individuals across campus, the Working Group has looked for ways to determine how best to transform the sustainability activities on our campus from a patchwork of programs and initiatives to a unified strategy that will better position the University's to capture sustainability’s value propositions. This work has involved extensive consultation (including on-line surveys, workshops and meetings) with units and individuals throughout campus, analysis of the effectiveness of our current performance based on strategic criteria, and identification and analyses of the gaps between our current and potential performance. Students have been engaged in the process as both members of the Working Group and some sub-committees. As well, a number of graduate students have been engaged as research assistants to move this work forward in a timely manner.

The overarching goals of this work are to bring forward strategies that will infuse and intertwine sustainability into the fabric of our institution in all areas of campus life (i.e. education, research, operations, governance and community engagement) and maximize opportunities for working together across boundaries on sustainability.

The Sustainability Commitment Working Group (SCWG) consists of 12 individuals, including members from student groups, staff, and faculty. A list of SCWG members is as follows:

Julia Jones
Sustainability Commitment Co-Leader
Director, Finance & Administration, Facility Management Division

Alec Aitken
Sustainability Commitment Co-Leader
Professor, Dept. of Geography & Planning

Margret Asmuss
Sustainability Coordinator, Office of Sustainability

Brian Bjorndal
Director, Workplace Safety & Environmental Protection,
Facilities Management Division

Sharla Daviduik
Administrative Officer
School of Environment & Sustainability

Shannon Dyck
Graduate Students Assoc. Representative

Phaedra Hitchings
Community Service-Learning Coordinator, University Learning Centre

Charles Maulé
Professor, Dept. of Agriculture & Bio-resource Engineering and School of Environment and Sustainability

Janet McVittie
Professor and Graduate Coordinator, Curriculum Studies, College of Education

Alex Ferwerda
Vice-President, Student Affairs, U of S Students Union

Gwen Toole
Director, Purchasing Services

Peggy Slater-Johnson
(Support) Administrative Assistant, Finance & Administration,
Facilities Management Division

The mission of the Office of Sustainability is to build a model sustainable campus through community engagement and collaborative action. This is achieved through a group of dedicated individuals who strive to bring about positive changes not only at our university, but throughout our community.

The Office of Sustainability at the U of S has 2.5 employees. As well, four employees of Facilities Management whose work has significant sustainability implications (waste prevention, energy management and commissioning) work closely with the core Office of Sustainability Staff on a daily basis. The Office also typically has between 2 and 5 student employees at any given time.

The Sustainability coordinator works with groups throughout the U of S campus, including faculty, staff, and students, to explore sustainability and move forward with sustainability initiatives and projects. She works on facilitating campus-wide partnerships and initiatives in areas as varied as operations, research and education, community engagement and policy.