| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 78.59 |
| Liaison | Beverley Ayeni |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2024 |
University of Toronto Mississauga
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Minali
Giani Sustainability Intern Facilities Management and Planning |
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
Source: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/green/home/governance
Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability (CECCS):
Background:
The President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability (CECCS), was created in early 2017, as one of the actions proposed in the Beyond Divestment: Taking Decisive Action on Climate Change – Administrative Response to the Report of the President’s Advisory Committee on Divestment from Fossil-Fuels report released by the President in March 2016. CECCS operates on the principle that sustainability is more than a subject-area or discipline. It is a cross-cutting framework, ethic, and key component of the University of Toronto identity.
Mandate:
The mandate of the CECCS is to advance coordination of the University’s contributions and objectives on climate change and sustainability pertaining to research and innovation, academic programs, community engagement, and sustainability initiatives related to our operations.
Goals:
- Sustainability a key component of U of T identity.
- Local and International leadership in operational and academic sustainability; and
- Recognition, sharing and aggregation of good sustainability practices across the university.
From its creation in 2017 to the decision to extend the mandate in 2021, the CECCS pursued its goals through three CECCS Subcommittees: Campus as a Living Lab (CLL), University as Agent of Change in the Community (AOC), and Curriculum Innovation (CI). The key strategies of these Subcommittees were to promote the integration of operational and academic sustainability through ‘Campus as a Living Lab’ projects (CLL), to develop partnerships on sustainability issues with the various communities internally and outside U of T (AOC), and to make sustainability curriculum opportunities available to students (CI). Across the activities of these Subcommittees, the CECCS has identified, facilitated, supported, enabled, and promoted sustainability initiatives across all three U of T campuses. This has been accomplished through leveraging individual campus identities, fostering a sense of common purpose, and bringing together existing sustainability networks and connections at U of T and in the community.
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
Principal's Sustainability Advisory Committee (PSAC):
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.
Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability (CECCS):
The current CECCS membership makeup is 10 faculty members, 10 staff members, 2 students, and 1 alumna, for a total of 23 members. All members serve on at least one of four Subcommittees: Teaching & Learning, Research, Operations, and Engagement and Partnership
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 2021. 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:
PSAC:
The Principal’s Sustainability Advisory Committee (PSAC) has been existence for approximately 3.5 years and meets every quarter, or four times per academic year. In these meetings, the committee discusses upcoming projects, opportunities to partner, and/or provides updates on campus sustainability programs/initiatives. Since PSAC is co-chaired by the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Vice-Principal Academic and Dean, on occasion, members may seek endorsement from PSAC as well.
PSAC was essential in the creation of UTM’s first Sustainability Strategic Plan titled “Fostering a Culture of Sustainability.” Additionally, members of PSAC have been providing key data for our 2024 STARS submission. PSAC members also piloted our Sustainable Change Office program, an employee-engagement initiative, during 2022-2023 academic year, with 11 offices participating (over 200+ staff). The Sustainable Change Offices Program is geared to equip staff, faculty and librarian offices on campus with a guide to creating and maintaining a sustainable office space.
CECCS:
The mandate of the university-wide Presidential Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability (CECCS) is to advance coordination of the University’s contributions and objectives on climate change and sustainability pertaining to research and innovation, academic programs, community engagement, and sustainability initiatives related to our operations. To this end, the CECCS has identified, facilitated, supported, enabled, and promoted sustainability initiatives across all three campuses. This has been accomplished through leveraging individual campus identities, fostering a sense of common purpose, and bringing together existing sustainability networks at U of T and in the community.
As one of its flagship academic initiatives, the CECCS U of T Sustainability Pathways Program, was developed to provide clusters of courses and co-curricular activities that allow students to explore sustainability from various disciplinary, methodological, and practical perspectives. The goal is to provide pathways through which all undergraduate students have an opportunity to incorporate sustainability learning into their program and develop cross-cutting interdisciplinary skills. CECCS has also spearheaded an Agent of Change for Sustainability Workshop for students nearing graduation, Campus as Living Labs (CLL) opportunities and initiatives, and a Transdisciplinary Knowledge Co-production Workshop for early career researchers. CECCS also maintains various inventories as resources to anyone interested in tri-campus sustainability activities as U of T.
At the intersection of academic and operational sustainability, CECCS led a CLL project resulting in a November 2020 report on Addressing University of Toronto’s Business-Related Scope 3 Air Travel Emissions. In March 2023, U of T’s Air Travel Emissions Mitigation Initiative was launched. The carbon fees collected through this program directly fund U of T initiatives such as the planting of 2,300 native trees. A call for additional carbon sequestration projects was released in the fall. 2023 also saw the publication of Conversations on Ethical Leadership: Lessons Learned from University Governance, which includes a chapter titled “University Responses to and Obligations for Business Air Travel Emissions”, co-authored by several CECCS members, students and staff.
CECCS members actively participate in the governance of the university sustainability networks to which U of T belongs, serving as part of the Steering Committee of the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3), Advisory Committee of the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) and as Chair of the Presidential Steering Committee of the World Alliance of Universities (U7+).
CECCS provides valuable employment, career learning and sustainability leadership experience to students through the Work Study Program and Sustainability Summer Internship Programs. Over the summer of 2023, $75,000 in donor funding was disbursed to community partners to hire U of T students as full-time summer interns, providing students with valuable work experience, and helping local organizations tackle sustainability challenges such as waste reduction, climate mitigation and adaptation, community engagement and global collaboration on climate.
From 2021-2023, $177,700 in donor funding has been distributed as part of the annual Adams Sustainability Celebration, providing $5,000 staff, faculty and student sustainability grants, and an annual $25,500 Sustainability Innovation Prize Competition to support and accelerate student-led start-ups. Additional funding and support has also been provided to sustainability student groups as part of the Celebration.
For a more detailed look at the CECCS’s accomplishments over the past three years, please visit https://sustainability.utoronto.ca/ceccs-home/.
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.