On October 24, Enbridge Gas Distribution (Enbridge) presented Durham College (DC) with a plaque and energy retrofit rebate cheque in recognition of the college’s successful energy conservation initiatives. Matthew Cannon, energy solutions consultant with Enbridge, made the presentation at the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food (CFF), Whitby campus, to DC Facilities Management department members Tanya Roberts, sustainability coordinator; Stephen Cassar, building automation technologist; Ryan Way, facilities maintenance technician; and Doug Crossman, manager, Mechanical Systems and Energy.

The efforts recognized by Enbridge fall under DC’s Conservation and Demand Management plan, which is part of the college’s overall commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. To reduce energy consumption on campus, DC recently implemented Demand Controlled Ventilation (DCV) in the CFF.

DCV allows the building’s systems to automatically adjust the amount of air exchange inside the CFF by controlling the amount of fresh air coming in and exhaust air leaving. This reduction in air exchange translates to lower energy usage by decreasing the amount of air that requires heating, cooling, humidification or dehumidification.

Environmental responsibility is a key focus for DC, which has been implementing changes to increase green activities and operationalize sustainability programs across the college.

The opportunity and appetite for establishing an innovation hub in Durham Region were enthusiastically confirmed by participants, including Durham College (DC), at Durham Idea Summit 2.0. The event was held on October 16 at the Deer Creek Golf Club.

“The time for action is now,” said DC president Don Lovisa, acting as a representative of the Idea Summit cabinet. “We heard that from our keynote speaker, Avvey Peters, from our innovation industry panelists and other stakeholders.”

Peters is the vice-president of partnerships for Communitech, an industry-led innovation centre that supports, fosters and celebrates a community of nearly 1,000 tech companies in the Waterloo Region.

“What Waterloo has created with Communitech is the type of hub that can help drive new innovation and jobs in Durham Region,” said Carla Carmichael, vice-president, Ontario Power Generation (OPG). “As Avvey shared, it will take time to build so we have to be in it for the long game.”

Two more important steps towards establishing an innovation hub in Durham Region were taken during the day-long event that was attended by more than 120 representatives from local business, academia, and government.

First, a newly developed innovative tech asset map was shared publicly for the first time by Kathy Weiss, director of economic development for the Region of Durham. The map highlights the cluster of innovative tech businesses, start-ups and support organizations across the region. The asset map, which is a collaborative project between Durham Region, Idea Summit, and Spark Centre, is a living document with additions to be made as they are identified. The map is available for viewing at www.ditp.ca.

Second, an Idea Summit discussion paper, Building a Durham Innovation Hub, was also shared publicly for the first time. The paper outlines the Idea Summit’s vision and proposed approach for establishing an innovation hub in Durham Region.

Leaders of the conference are eager to maintain the momentum coming out of Idea Summit 2.0.

“We’ve taken to heart what we heard today and what we have consistently heard over the past 18 months,” said Jason Atkins, founder and CEO of 360insights. “The time to build an innovation hub in Durham Region is now and collaboration with all sectors of the community is key.”

The Durham Idea Summit is led by 10 of the region’s largest and more innovative employers including DC, University of Institute of Technology, 360insights, AECOM, GM Canada, Lakeridge Health, OPG, Search Engine People, Spark Centre and Veridian.

A recent donation of state-of-the art equipment from Rockwell Automation to Durham College’s (DC) Integrated Manufacturing Centre (IMC) will help keep students from the School of Science & Engineering Technology ahead of the curve.

The gift, which includes 12 Controllogix (CLX) L71 controllers and 1756-EN2T modules, will support important upgrades within the IMC to provide students with access to the latest firmware and technology used in the industry today.

The first of its kind in Canada, the IMC is a world-class, industrial-grade, automated facility primarily used by students in the college’s Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology program. The facility houses major equipment components including human-machine interface terminals; industrial networks and robots; material handling systems; programmable logic controller hardware; vision cameras; and supervisory control and data acquisition software.

Partnerships with industry leaders such as Rockwell Automation, a world leader in industrial automation, are vital to helping DC continually adapt programs and curriculums to ensure graduates are prepared to meet the needs of employers.

Hundreds of honey bees now call Durham College’s (DC) W. Galen Weston Centre for Food (CFF) home, with the arrival of its first apiary, also known as a bee yard.

According to beesmatter.ca one out of every three bites of food we eat is made possible by pollinators like honey bees. However, honey bees are in decline worldwide due in part to changes in land use, habitat loss, diseases, pesticides, farming practices, pollution, and climate change.

As part of the CFF’s field-to-fork vision, the apiary is a natural fit to further the cycle of sustainability and growth already in place, thanks to features including the pollinator garden, filled with honey bee-friendly flowers, the greenhouses, fruit and vegetable fields and arboretum. It’s a win-win scenario as the bees will help the crops flourish and DC does its part to help protect the honey bee population.

A honey yield is expected in 2018. The fruits of the bees’ labour will be available for sale in Pantry, incorporated into food and drink items available at Bistro ’67, and for use in post-secondary labs.

Durham College (DC) is pleased to share that it has received a silver rating from the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS), offered through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), for its on-campus sustainability initiatives.

DC became a member of AASHE in 2009 and achieved a bronze rating in 2012. Work towards achieving silver status began in January 2016, with employees from many departments and schools across the college contributing to the collection of data required to support the application.

Environmental responsibility has been a key focus for the college’s Sustainability Committee and Living Green initiative, who, along with the entire campus community, have been implementing changes to increase green activities and operationalize sustainability programs across DC. These include the use of solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling, co-mingle waste bins and low-flow toilets, all of which contributed to achieving the silver rating.

STARS is a comprehensive tool that compares the sustainability initiatives of participating colleges and universities by focusing on several key areas including education and research; operations; planning; and administration and engagement, with each category holding a percentage-based score.

AASHE has extensive participation from several universities and colleges throughout North America. This group of institutions creates networking opportunities to advance sustainability through sharing ideas and opening dialogues on behalf of the diverse community AASHE effects. Administrators, faculty, staff and students all contribute to improve sustainability and demonstrate the value of collaboration on these initiatives.

Durham College (DC) has joined a partnership with the City of Oshawa, University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, and the Canadian Urban Institute, to help Oshawa become the world’s first “Teaching City”.

The four parties launched their new project and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on June 5 at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa.  Under the agreement, DC and the City of Oshawa, along with their other educational partners, will collaborate on making Oshawa a “Teaching City” — in a similar way to how some medical centres become “teaching hospitals” — that builds momentum and establishes the city as one focused on experiential learning, applied research and innovative teaching partnerships to address urban issues.

“Oshawa is already a great place to live, work and innovate,” said DC president Don Lovisa. “Today, Oshawa became an even brighter spot in Canada’s knowledge economy because there will be new opportunities for DC students to explore and problem solve through the issues that matter to residents and businesses, with city staff, DC faculty and other education partners. This is experiential learning at its best.”

Through the project, the MOU signatories, along with local and regional partners, will develop the city as a “living laboratory” to address and study complex urban issues and identify opportunities. Together the partners will explore and pursue the following objectives:

• Identify and develop initiatives focused on creating practical, scalable and sustainable solutions to urban issues.
• Develop and potentially commercialize technologies and techniques.
• Develop and coordinate joint experiential learning opportunities, applied research, and innovative educational activities.
• Contribute to seminars, workshops and academic initiatives that drive the business goals of the city.
• Share access to facilities, equipment, systems, information and data.
• Work toward the long-term positioning of Oshawa as a locally and globally recognized community of urban research and learning.

DC students will get their first opportunities to participate in the TeachingCity through an upcoming hack-a-thon on city data and the development of the city’s first Diversity and Inclusion Plan. These initiatives will allow students to gain skills and experience while also developing a strong level of engagement and connection within the community.