| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 73.99 |
| Liaison | Mary-Lee Townsend |
| Submission Date | Oct. 20, 2021 |
Western University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Mary-Lee
Townsend Sustainability & Compliance Manager Sustainability Office |
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:
https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/policies_procedures/section1/mapp148_procedure.pdf
The President’s Advisory Committee on Environment and Sustainability (PACES) is tasked with designing and executing on a Climate & Sustainability Strategy that puts into practice the principles enunciated in this policy. The expectation is that, for each part of its mandate, it will build on the work that is already
being done by staff and organizations involved in sustainability initiatives within academic and administrative units across the University. It will:
(i) Establish specific goals for sustainability.
(ii) Develop performance indicators for and regularly measure progress toward established goals.
(iii) Develop communication tools to:
• Inform the University community in general of programs and activities relating to sustainability
• Assist with information dissemination in order to reduce duplication of effort and enhance efficiencies
• Educate individual members of the community with respect to how they can
contribute to a sustainable campus
(iv) Advise the President and senior administration on policy and procedural changes that need to be made.
(v) Report annually to the University community at large, the Senate and the Board of Governors PACES reports to Western's President, and is co-chaired by the Vice-Provost, Academic Planning, Policy & Faculty and the Vice-President, Finance and Operations. PACES is responsible for updating Western's sustainability plans.
Working groups have been created to ensure that initiatives across every dimension of Western's operations are improved over time.
PACES is guided by the following principles:
- Incorporating sustainability into our academic programming, to contribute to an educated citizenry and develop future leaders
- Engaging in research across the disciplines into issues of environmental sustainability
- Reducing our use of inputs
- Reducing outputs through recycling and reuse
- Focusing on life cycle management of resources and waste products
- Utilizing ecological landscaping methods and preserving green space
- Building and renovating facilities in accordance with energy efficiency and sustainability principles
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
Lynn Logan (Vice-President (Operations & Finance)) Co-Chair
Andy Hrymak (Provost & Vice-President (Academic)) Co-Chair
Matt Reesor (USC Designate)
Anandita Heer (USC Designate)
Indra Bishnoi (SOGS Designate)
Brendon Samuels (SOGS Designate)
Postdoctoral Scholar Designate (1) TBD
Stephan Vachon (Director, Centre for Environment & Sustainability)
Kenneth Coley (Dean, Faculty of Engineering)
Katrina Moser (President’s Faculty Representative)
Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw (President’s Faculty Representative)
Kerrie Lambier (President’s Staff Representative)
Amanda Meyers (President’s Staff Representative)
Susana Gajic-Bruyea (University Advancement Representative)
Candace Brunette-Debassige (Acting Vice Provost & AVP, Indigenous Initiatives)
Elizabeth Krische (AVP, Facilities Management)
Althea Blackburn-Evans (Chief Communications Officer)
Kevin Shoemaker (AVP, Research)
Jennifer Massey (AVP, Student Experience)
Jane O’Brien (AVP, Human Resources)
Chris Alleyne (AVP, Housing & Ancillary Services)
Resources:
Heather Hyde (Director, Sustainability)
Mary-Lee Townsend (Manager, Sustainability & Compliance)
Evan Green (Manager, Energy & Carbon)
Danielle Lapkowski (Administrative Coordinator, Operations & Finance)
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:
Western's Office of Sustainability is dedicated to embedding and amplifying sustainability in operations, student engagement, outreach and academia at Western. The team provides assistance and guidance, and works with various groups across campus to help achieve mutual sustainability goals.
We also run various initiatives on campus, including the Western Sustainability Leaders Program, WISE and Green Awards, WWF-Canada's Living Planet @ Campus, campus waste management and carbon and energy reduction programs. Through work with students, staff and faculty, Western Sustainability develops and supports projects, policies and initiatives that reduce the consumption of resources and waste outputs, while also contributing towards the betterment of society.
Western is committed to continual improvement on sustainability across campus. Western's Gold achievement in Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS) demonstrates a broad range of university commitments and accomplishments in sustainability. The university seeks to continue implementing improvements to guarantee Western is a top performing Canadian school for sustainability.
Meet Our Team
Heather Hyde, Director, Sustainability
Evan Green, Manager, Energy & Carbon
Mary-Lee Townsend, Manager, Sustainability & Compliance
Jessica Cordes, Engagement Coordinator (Sustainability)
Laura Mantz, Sustainability Coordinator
Dan Mcgregor, Sustainability Coordinator
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 President's Advisory Committee for Environment and Sustainability (PACES) meets bi-monthly to discuss the implementation of the sustainability strategic plan, to share information and successes around sustainability, and to promote the development of new initiatives that can help enhance sustainability throughout the organization.
Some accomplishments include the creation of the WISE competition (Western's Ideas for Sustainability and the Environment), where students engage in developing solutions to sustainability challenges (either local, national or global). Also, through the working groups created that now report to PACES, many departments on campus in partnership with Hospitality Services and other areas on campus, some units have developed sustainability action plans and reports. Finally, through the working groups created reporting to PACES we have been able to implement initiatives such as front of the kitchen composting in buildings throughout campus.
https://news.westernu.ca/2020/11/president-renews-sustainability-committee-for-greener-campus/
Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
The Director of Sustainability is accountable for providing strategic leadership for the development, implementation and management of plans and initiatives designed to incorporate and advance principles of sustainability across campus. As part of the Facilities Management senior leadership team, the Director will contribute to Western’s resiliency planning by developing strategies that advance the long-term survival of the institution. The incumbent will act as a centralized resource for sustainability information, and lead sustainability initiatives that are economically viable, environmentally sound and foster a sustainable and efficient living and working environment. The Director will provide education to staff, faculty and students regarding sustainability, waste reduction and energy conservation, and will work to ensure that Western becomes a recognized leader in environmental sustainability. The incumbent will lead the development and implementation of strategic sustainability plans, and manage the allocation of human and financial resources.
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):
Western is committed to reducing emissions and waste, managing energy and water
consumption, and being a responsible steward of the environment, as well as Western’s facilities and resources. The Sustainability & Compliance Manager works with units across campus to increase sustainability awareness, conservation and efficiency, and will identify, recommend, implement and monitor changes across campus. The incumbent works to ensure that Western becomes a recognized leader in environmental sustainability by engaging students, staff and faculty across campus in a variety of sustainability initiatives. The Manager of Sustainability & Compliance works in collaboration with the Director of Sustainability, the Energy & Carbon Manager and Project Managers to coordinate sustainability projects and programs, and prepare related reports for internal and external audiences.
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):
The Manager of Energy and Carbon is responsible for developing and directing Western's programs, initiatives, and infrastructure aimed at reducing carbon emissions and conserving energy usage on campus.
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.