Durham College receives bronze STARS rating Posted on November 13, 2012 at 12:35 pm. College recognized for commitment to living green; sustainable journey well underway Oshawa, Ont. – Durham College announced today that it has received a bronze 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. The system, a comprehensive tool that compares the sustainability initiatives of participating colleges and universities, focuses on several key areas including education and research; operations; planning; and administration and engagement with each category holding a percentage-based score. The college officially began benchmarking its sustainability initiatives through the STARS program in February 2012 and after several months of data collection received its bronze rating in October. “Durham College is dedicated to ensuring that sustainability guides our decisions and practices in fostering the continued success and well‐being of our students, people and planet,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “2012 marked the start of our commitment to living green and we are very proud to be given a bronze rating for our first STARS submission. In addition, the STARS process has given us the opportunity to recognize both our weakness and strengths as an institution, knowledge we will use to further our success to date and make improvements going forward. I am confident this is just the beginning of our sustainable journey.” In addition to the ongoing implementation of new measures designed to make it a better environmental steward and champion, Durham College recently introduced a Living Green campaign as well as a Sustainability Committee that is designed to promote awareness, understanding and the practice of environmental, social and economic sustainability with all college stakeholders. AASHE has broad participation from numerous universities and colleges throughout North America including vast networking opportunities and the option to participate in the STARS program. The association is designed to advance sustainability in higher education by creating a diverse community engaged in sharing ideas and promising practices. It provides administrators, faculty, staff and students, as well as the business that serve them, with thought leadership and essential knowledge resources; professional development opportunities; and a framework for demonstrating the value and competitive edge of sustainability initiatives. -30- About Durham College At Durham College, the student experience comes first. In September 2012, the college welcomed more than 30,000 students to campus including 9,047 full-time post-secondary students as well as part-time and continuing education students; apprentices; and online learners. The college offers a wide range of market-driven programs in a number of different disciplines including business, information technology, media, art, design, general arts, science, skilled trades, justice, emergency services, health and engineering technology, enabling students to develop the skills required to meet the demands of today’s job market. A three-phase expansion of the college’s Whitby campus is currently underway. Phase 1 opened in September 2009 followed by Phase 2 in May 2011. Phase 3 will see the creation of a 36,000-square-foot building focused on agriculture, culinary, hospitality and tourism. Accommodating approximately 900 new students, it will house new classrooms and labs and offer a full-service, green-certified restaurant and lounge and see the creation of a greenhouse – all of which will be open to the general public. In addition, a new Student Services building opened at the Oshawa campus in January 2011. For more information, visit www.durhamcollege.ca or call 905.721.2000. Media contact: Allison Rosnak Communications and Marketing 905.721.2000 ext. 2333 allison.rosnak@durhamcollege.ca SHARE:
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