| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.93 |
| Liaison | Emily Zabanah |
| Submission Date | Feb. 1, 2024 |
Seneca Polytechnic
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Paula
Echeveste Sustainability Specialist - Engagement & Outreach Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the municipal/local level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level:
Bike Share Toronto invited Seneca representatives from the Office of Sustainability and Campus Services to attend their Stakeholder Workshop in July 2022, to provide feedback and direction on their bike share station expansion and overall four-year growth plan. This bicycle-sharing system in Toronto is owned by Toronto Parking Authority, a municipal parking service company owned by the City of Toronto. Seneca advocated for the need for bike lanes and bike racks in the North York region of Toronto, an area currently underserved by bicycle infrastructure. We were invited to provide our reasoning for our requests and help with scenario development for their four-year growth plan.
Toronto Metropolitan University hosted a green roof design charrette in July 2023 with the City of Toronto, attended by various educational institutions and organizations in the city. Case studies were presented of green roof designs and implemented projects to generate discussions around the current Green Roof Bylaw and Eco-Roof Incentives. Feedback was welcomed and encouraged for these existing initiatives, with potential to create policy updates and building resources to help support future green roof designs. A Seneca representative from the Office of Sustainability presented our proposed green roof project to install intensive green roof technologies on an existing roof at the Newnham campus. The Seneca case study provided insights into the potential barriers of installing green roof technology on existing infrastructure and specific considerations related to the operations, governance structure, and funding opportunities for post-secondary institutions.
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level:
Provincially, the President’s Office and the Stakeholder Engagement and Business Development team advocated for a new equipment renewal fund requesting $50M to support investments in critical infrastructure such as science and advanced manufacturing labs, digital training tools and low-carbon equipment. These initiatives were part of a larger request from the sector – all Colleges and Institutes through CICan and Colleges Ontario were making these recommendations to provincial and federal governments through lobbying efforts (Day on the Hill, budget submissions, etc). This was a new fund we were advocating for, and it was of critical importance to all 24 Colleges.
Through Colleges Ontario, Seneca has advocated for the government to establish new training programs for green jobs and energy and to invest in capital projects to further improve energy efficiency on college campuses.
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the national level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level:
Through our federal associations, the President’s Office and the Stakeholder Engagement and Business Development team advocates for the federal government to invest in the research and learning infrastructure designed to develop a future ready workforce, and to ensure all new infrastructure programs can be accessed by postsecondary institutions to make their campuses more sustainable, accessible and better equipped with the tools and technologies used by employers. We also have encouraged the federal government to accelerate the achievement of Canada’s net zero goals through the creation of a new Green Postsecondary Infrastructure Fund, with a minimum of $500 million a year over 5 years being dedicated to helping colleges achieve net zero emission campuses.
As well, Seneca conducts applied research funded by the Canadian government to support urban farming and other sustainability initiatives.
Seneca is also a member of Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery, a coalition of leading colleges, institutes and polytechnics from across Canada committed to quickly develop thousands of training and research opportunities to help Canadians access good jobs, support the transition to the low carbon economy, and foster inclusion, diversity and equity.
Finally, we have recommended that the government accelerate net zero initiatives in communities by investing $100M over 5 years in a new network of 50 College Sustainability Centers across Canada to leverage college assets including campus infrastructure, industry and community partnerships to meet Canada’s net zero goals.
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level:
A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
Seneca does not donate to any political parties or individual candidates.
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts 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.