Wednesday, April 22, Ottawa – Algonquin College became the second college in Ontario to sign the Association of Canadian Community College’s (ACCC) Pan-Canadian Protocol for Sustainability. Algonquin’s President Robert Gillett was joined by James Knight, President of the ACCC, on Earth Day to sign this protocol and formally recognize the importance of sustainability on campus, in our classrooms and beyond.

“Caring for the environment is part of our commitment to caring for our students,” says Gillett. “We will continue to be a leader in sustainable practices in an effort to instill environmental best practices into our graduates so they can be agents of change in their personal and professional lives.”

This national protocol calls for colleges to integrate principles of sustainability into curriculum; develop an institutional sustainability plan; incorporate sustainability practices in operations such as green standards for buildings, use alternate energy sources and energy efficient transportation; and more.

“This protocol provides a good road map for institutions across the country to follow,” adds Gillett. “Algonquin is already working on several steps in this protocol from embedding sustainability in our current strategic plan to working with organizations to bring leaders in the field to Algonquin; such as Dr. Jane Goodall who visited campus last week.”

Algonquin has undertaken initiatives in the past several years to become a more sustainable institution. Algonquin became the first Canadian College to sign the Talloires Declaration, an international commitment to sustainability; invested $6 million in renovations and upgrades that will save the college $600,000 each year in energy consumption; and launched Canada’s first Green Business Management graduate certificate program designed to connect the three ‘P’s – people, planet, profit.

The College will soon be breaking ground on a new ‘green’ facility that will train construction trades professionals. The 142,000 square foot LEED-Gold certified space will be a showpiece of “green” building practices and curriculum. This living lab will teach students the importance of sustainability, energy efficiency and reducing building impacts on human health and the environment through better building design, construction, maintenance and operation.

“Algonquin College’s Environmental Demonstration Centre for Construction Trades and Building Sciences, embraces environmental sustainability as a defining principle from inception through to completion,” says James Knight, President of the ACCC. “It is an excellent example of the commitment of Canada’s colleges and institutes to providing graduates with the advanced skills and innovative minds supporting sustainable technologies.”

This signing ceremony was part of the College’s greater Earth Day activities that included planting 41 trees on campus, a sustainability tradeshow, and a recruitment push for volunteers to remove loose trash from the campus grounds, in neighbouring communities such as Centrepointe and Ryan Farm.

The Earth Day activities at Algonquin College are just the latest in a series of Algonquin’s initiatives to improve and promote sustainability at the College and in the community.