| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 60.05 |
| Liaison | Beverley Ayeni |
| Submission Date | Dec. 11, 2020 |
University of Toronto Mississauga
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:
Principal's Sustainability Advisory Committee:
Role: The primary purpose of the Principal’s Sustainability Advisory Committee
(PSAC) is to advise, collaborate and develop a long-term sustainability
strategic plan for the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). The
committee is building on the sustainability work that is currently being done in
different departments and units (including teaching, research, outreach, and
operations) across UTM to further incorporate principles of sustainability.
Scope: UTM strives to become a global leader in sustainability by fostering a
culture of sustainability. A culture of sustainability can be fostered only by incorporating sustainability into all aspects of UTM. Therefore, this document pertains to all areas of the University including academic programs and research,
human resources, and infrastructure.
Responsibilities: The PSAC will:
i) Establish goals for sustainability at UTM
ii) Develop metrics and key performance indicators for outcomes
and goals
iii) Continually measure progress towards outcomes and goals
iv) Link campus to local and global communities engaged in
sustainability efforts more broadly
v) Report to the UTM Governance Boards
vi) Communication
Tri-campus Sustainability Board:
Background
The new Sustainability Board provides a replacement for and improvement on the now disbanded Environmental Protection Advisory Committee (EPAC). The inaugural meeting of the Board took place at the University of Toronto’s St. George campus on February 6th, 2007.
Representation
This is a high level strategic group, with senior staff and faculty from all three University of Toronto campuses, who will report back to and supervise the Sustainability and Environmental Affairs Offices and staff at each campus. When necessary, others will be invited to meetings to provide expert advice and/or relevant information.
Purpose and Mandate
The overall purpose of the Sustainability Board is to effectively embed sustainability into the fabric of the University of Toronto by providing guidance, support and accountability to related sustainability activities in various sites and divisions in the University. In addition, this forum will promote communication and mutual support for related sustainability activities in different sites and divisions of the university. While the individual campuses set their own agendas and determine their own priorities, the Sustainability Board will help them to find opportunities where they can coordinate with each other on University-wide initiatives. The Sustainability Board will provide strategic guidance and direction on plans, policies, partnerships, projects and financial mechanisms used to promote sustainability at the University. In particular, the Board will review annual reports and strategic plans developed by the Sustainability Offices at UTSC and St. George, and the Environmental Affairs Office at UTM and monitor the progress against these plans. This structured system of accountability will encourage the comparison of the Annual Report with the previous Strategic Plan, to identify those activities which are progressing as planned and those which are not, for which a rationale will be presented, for all areas of the University’s operations falling under the ambit of Campus Planning and the CAO’s of UTM and UTSC.
Working Groups
The board will be responsible for establishing, guiding and ensuring the timely progress of specific working groups as required. Three working groups have been established, and more are anticipated as the need arises. Working Groups can include members who are not on the Sustainability Board.
The Energy Planning Working Group is preparing a comprehensive energy plan for all three campuses that will address the long range requirements relating to utilities conservation, intensity, absolute consumption and emissions targets and conservation, retrofit and renewable energy projects of the University. The Group’s membership and mandate is described in more detail in its ToR document. The Financial Aspects of Sustainability in Capital Projects Working Group is preparing a revised policy for new buildings and major retrofits to ensure that designs incorporate sustainable features.
Governance
The Board will integrate sustainability into the governance structure of the University, providing a reporting conduit to senior management groups at UTM and UTSC, Planning and Budget, University Affairs, Business Board and Governing Council. Specific project proposals which need to proceed through the governance process will be requested and reviewed by the Board at their meetings, prior to their submission to Business Board.
Logistics and Reporting
The Sustainability Board will meet at least three times per year, or more frequently as required, rotating among the three campuses. At these meetings, the Sustainability and Environmental Affairs Offices and the various working groups will report on their progress and receive feedback and direction for their work. An annual report on the University’s sustainability will be published at the conclusion of each fiscal year.
Members and assessors will be responsible for completing action items designated to them by the date agreed upon during the meeting.
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
Principal's Sustainability Advisory Committee:
Membership of the Principal’s Sustainability Advisory Committee is as
follows:
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO); Co-Chair
Vice-Principal, Academic and Dean; Co-Chair
Four Academic Representatives
Environmental/Sustainability Coordinator
Four administrative staff members
Designate appointed by CAO
Designate appointed by Dean
Undergraduate Student
Graduate Student
Two Community Members
Appointed members will serve for two-year terms, renewable. Co-chairs will
determine the possibility of future reappointment. All other representatives are permanent members of the committee as each appointment is linked to their function within the U of T Mississauga administration.
The focus of committee members’ input shall not be the representation of
their own department, division or building, but impartial perspective of the
community ensuring fairness and effectiveness in sustainability at U of T
Mississauga.
PSAC meetings will be closed. Meetings are to be attended only the PSAC
committee members and invited individuals.
Tri-campus Sustainability Board:
Members:
The membership of the board is as follows:
Vice-President, Business Affairs (ex-officio)
Vice-President and Provost (ex-officio) Assistant Vice-President, Campus and Facilities Planning (co-chair) Assistant Vice-President, Facilities and Services (co-chair),
Vice-Provost, Student Life and Provostial Adviser on Tri-Campus Matters
Chief Administrative Officer, UTM
Chief Administrative Officer, UTSC
Director, Capital Projects Director, Sustainability Office
Director of Utilities and Building Operations, Facilities and Services
Director, Facilities Management, UTSC
Director, Utilities and Facilities, UTM
Faculty member, UTM, UTSC, and St. George
Manager, Facilities and Services
Assessors:
The Sustainability and Environmental Affairs Coordinators are invited to the Sustainability Board meetings as observers and for record keeping purposes, and to support the presentation of documents as required. Sustainability Offices’ and Environmental Affairs Office staff at the three campuses will arrange meetings, prepare agendas and take minutes on a rotating basis.
Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent employee?:
A brief description of each sustainability office:
The Sustainability Office at the University of Toronto, Mississauga (UTM) is responsible for promoting and maintaining a broad range of sustainability initiatives through the engagement of the UTM community. UTM is located on 225 acres of largely undeveloped land overlooking the Credit River Valley. Thoughtful stewardship of this unique setting is a fundamental part of the campus Master Plan, most recently updated in 2011. Large areas of the campus have been designated “Protected, Naturalized Research Space” and are protected against development.
“Grow Smart, Grow Green” is the guiding principle for campus development, balancing the need for growth with environmental sensitivity and responsibility. As a microcosm for the pressures of urban growth, UTM remains committed to prove that expansion and development can be accomplished in an environmentally sensitive and responsible manner. “Grow Smart, Grow Green” provides a framework to guide all our decisions that may impact upon our environment.
Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution?:
A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
The Principal's Sustainability Advisory Committee of UTM's terms of reference state: "A culture of sustainability can be fostered only by incorporating
sustainability into all aspects of UTM. Therefore, this document pertains to
all areas of the University including academic programs and research,
human resources, and infrastructure." The committee is an institution-wide body.
The committee has been in existence for approximately 1 year, and has created UTM's first Sustainability Strategic Plan, an institution-wide 10-year plan entitled "Fostering a Culture of Sustainability". The committee is also overseeing this STARS submission to create a baseline against which to measure future success.
Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability coordination is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.