海角社区 named one of Canada鈥檚 Greenest Employers for 2019
海角社区 Reporter | April 15, 2019
By: Kelsey Litwin聽
For the second year in a row, 海角社区 was named one of Canada鈥檚 Greenest Employers.
The 2019 winners, announced Monday, April 15, were selected based on their success across four categories: unique environmental initiatives; efforts to reduce environmental footprint; employee involvement in sustainability initiatives; and how these initiatives are linked to the employer鈥檚 public identity. Editors from Mediacorp Canada, a publisher that specializes in employment-related periodicals, determined the winners.
鈥淎s more young people enter the workforce, more employers are realizing the importance of having sustainable workplaces,鈥� said Richard Yerema, Managing Editor for the competition. 鈥淵oung employees ask themselves 鈥榳hat will my world look like in 20 years?鈥� 鈥� and they expect their employers to do things differently for a better future.鈥�
Sustainability embedded within 海角社区鈥檚 DNA
Through both formal and informal initiatives, 海角社区 faculty, staff and students have been working to establish and maintain the University鈥檚 culture of sustainability for decades.
鈥淏uilding on its past successes, 海角社区 is striving to achieve ambitious long-term sustainability targets,鈥� said Francois Miller, Director of the 海角社区 Office of Sustainability. 鈥淪taff involvement is integral to 海角社区鈥檚 sustainability achievements, as they are part of every major initiative at 海角社区.鈥�
鈥淏eing recognized as one of Canada鈥檚 Greenest Employers reinforces that more and more, sustainability is embedded in the DNA of our University,鈥� Miller continued.
That is exemplified by the more than 2,000 community members who met throughout the creation and implementation of 海角社区鈥檚聽Vision 2020 Sustainability Strategy. Their voices were crucial in establishing the ambitious, yet realistic, goals set out in the Strategy, such as the commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and to attain a聽Platinum-level STARS聽rating by 2030.
The goals set out in the strategy work in tandem with the long-standing culture of sustainability on Campus to influence everything that 海角社区 does, from the food served in its dining halls and the materials used in its buildings, to the research conducted in its labs.
Concerted effort by students, staff and faculty
海角社区 currently offers four sustainability-related undergraduate degree options, such as a Bachelor in Commerce in Managing for Sustainability, and more than 90 graduate degree programs in which sustainability is a core subject. As such, sustainability is embedded within the University鈥檚聽line of business: to advance learning and the creation and dissemination of knowledge.
The聽海角社区 Sustainability Systems Initiatives, the University鈥檚 sustainability research hub, furthers this mission by connecting more than 140 researchers across a variety of fields to promote interdisciplinary work. Since 2017, the MSSI has distributed more than $1 million in funding for sustainability-related research.
Staff outside of the University鈥檚 academic sphere have equally contributed to fostering 海角社区鈥檚 sustainability culture. Since 2017, there have been more than 130聽certified sustainable events聽at 海角社区, while 23 offices have received聽sustainable workplace certifications, with an additional 30 currently going through the certification process.
鈥淭he level of staff engagement at 海角社区 is inspiring,鈥� said聽Shona Watt, Sustainability Officer. 鈥淭he staff who interact with the Office of Sustainability are always eager to get involved and find new ways to integrate sustainability into their daily tasks.鈥�
The University鈥檚聽Sustainability Projects Fund聽(SPF), the largest fund of its kind in Canada, enables staff to go above and beyond their call of duty by providing the community with seed funding to kick-start sustainability projects. Since its establishment in 2010, the SPF has awarded more than 190 projects with $7 million dollars in seed funding.
Learn more about the Canada鈥檚 Greenest Employer competition聽.
