On April 4, Durham College launched its Living Green campaign to highlight its sustainability initiatives at the Oshawa and Whitby campuses.

Don Lovisa, president, Durham College, kicked off the events at both locations followed by guest speaker Bob Willard, a leading author of resources for sustainability champions, who discussed the business case for sustainability.

“By creating a culture of sustainability at Durham College we ensure all our students and employees have the knowledge and skills to meet sustainability challenges in their current and future careers,” said Lovisa. “A sustainable college atmosphere will benefit the careers of our students and employees by educating and engaging them in understanding the relationship between how they do their work, the decisions they make every day and the impact those decisions have on the environment.”

Willard then highlighted the business case for sustainability and how sustainable business practices can improve an organization’s bottom line. This included pointing out that companies are primed and ready to hire graduates with green knowledge and skills.

The event also included displays of information from community partners such as the City of Oshawa, Town of Whitby and Regional Municipality of Durham as well as local producers and providers of services.

As part of its commitment to sustainability, Durham College will be participating in the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS) a program widely adopted throughout North America that provides a meaningful, transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance.

The college is now collecting data from different departments to develop and submit a report to STARS, which will then be evaluated in order to determine its rating level. Each rating, from Bronze to Platinum, acts as an indication of sustainability leadership.

To learn more about the college’s sustainability initiatives please visit www.durhamcollege.ca/livinggreen.