General Archives | Sustainability

�Ӱ�ԭ�� University Achieves Gold Rating for Sustainability Performance

philipmansfield — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:04:20 +0000

�Ӱ�ԭ�� University has once again achieved a Gold rating through the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), demonstrating sustained leadership and continued progress in campus sustainability.

STARS is a program of AASHE, The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, and is a comprehensive sustainability rating system for colleges and universities that addresses the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability. Developed by the higher education community through a transparent and inclusive process, STARS provides a shared framework for understanding, measuring, and advancing sustainability in higher education.

�Ӱ�ԭ��’s Gold rating reflects its overall performance across four main categories, Academics, Engagement, Operations, and Planning & Administration. STARS ratings are based on an institution’s total score across all credits and are earned through an assessment process that incorporates data accuracy and quality assurance measures.

Earning a Gold rating for the second time highlights �Ӱ�ԭ��’s ongoing commitment to embedding sustainability into teaching, research, operations, and community engagement, and to continuous improvement over time.

View �Ӱ�ԭ��’s published STARS submission .

�Ӱ�ԭ�� University recognised as a WWF Canada Living Campus

philipmansfield — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 15:32:32 +0000

�Ӱ�ԭ�� University has been recognised as a WWF Canada Living Campus certification. This recognises post-secondary institutions for outstanding commitment to conservation and the environment. On the �Ӱ�ԭ�� campus, one way that students helped meet the requirements was by adding beautiful bird-friendly glazing on the outside of the Nesbitt Building windows to reduce bird collisions, injury and death for resident and migratory bird populations.

The campus continues to promote and develop sustainability initiatives on the campus, and in 2025 a new Tiny Forest will be added to complement tree planting in other parts of the campus and the new larger green space of Alumni Park. Thank you to the �Ӱ�ԭ�� community for helping nature thrive on our campus.

For information on all campus biodiversity programs visit here.

Campus Race to Zero-Waste

MichelleBilbo — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 13:54:43 +0000

Zero-waste basketball day gets campus recycling race started at �Ӱ�ԭ��

MichelleBilbo — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 19:47:51 +0000

Climate Solutions for a Sustainable Future – Save the Date for the 2024 �Ӱ�ԭ�� Challenge Conference!

MichelleBilbo — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 13:42:05 +0000

�Ӱ�ԭ�� University is pleased to announce that our annual �Ӱ�ԭ�� Challenge Conference will take place on May 8, 2024. This upcoming edition of the conference will focus on one of the greatest challenges of our time: Climate Change.

Plastic-Free July Weekly Tip – The Final R: Rot (Compost)

MichelleBilbo — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 14:58:35 +0000

It’s week 5 of Plastic-Free July, the final week, and we’re excited about your progress towards a plastic-free lifestyle with the 5 R’s of Zero-Waste: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot. These principles are interconnected and represented in a circular guide. Remember, tips can be used interchangeably between the R’s and may be repeated.

Last week, we focused on recycling our plastics that we were unable to reduce or reuse. Our final ‘R’ in the cycle of going plastic-free and/or zero-waste is Rot, also known as composting. While plastics typically cannot be composted, this ‘R’ can apply to contents found within the plastics that may remain after use.

Many items can be composted that you may not be aware of! Some of them are listed below, but as always, if you do not know where to dispose of an item, simply check out our Waste Wizard for disposal methods on campus. If live within the City of Ottawa, they also have their own for waste disposal off-campus.

Composting at home is easy! You can find countertop compostable bins at most stores for your home or office. If you’re feeling adventurous and have the space at home, you can buy (or even DIY) your own composter and use it to help with your gardening!

Some common items that can be composted at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University are:

Food waste (apple cores, banana peels, chicken bones, etc.)
Coffee grounds & filters
Eggs and egg shells
Tissues
Paper towels and napkins
Leftover fat and oil
Paper straws
Popcorn bag
Paper take-out container
Teabags (without the plastic)

Pedaling to Success! Let’s Bike Month 2023 at �Ӱ�ԭ�� Results

MichelleBilbo — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 16:32:55 +0000

Sustainability �Ӱ�ԭ�� and Healthy Workplace joined forces last month to encourage the �Ӱ�ԭ�� community to embrace sustainable commuting by cycling. Together, we created a �Ӱ�ԭ�� team, called the Road Ravens, to participate in the Let’s Bike Ottawa challenge. This initiative allowed team members to witness the positive environmental and financial impact of choosing biking as their mode of transportation. Additionally, we organized a free cycling workshop on campus and provided selected participants with complimentary bike tune-ups. We are immensely grateful to everyone who took part in these events and activities, and we hope they inspired some of you to explore Ottawa on two wheels!

Let’s Bike Ottawa – �Ӱ�ԭ�� Road Ravens Results

We had 60 team members who signed up for the Road Ravens.

Together, we covered a total distance of 5,486.6 kilometers over the course of 30 days.

Our collective efforts resulted in averting 1,399.08 kilograms of GHG emissions.*

By choosing cycling over driving, our team collectively saved $3,346.83.**

June 19th – Bike Day at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University

In collaboration with , Healthy Workplace co-hosted a free cycling workshop called “Discover Your City by Bike.” The workshop covered route-planning tips and resources and introduced participants to hidden gems in Ottawa that can be explored on two wheels. You can also find cycling resources, including route-planning maps, on our Sustainable Transportation webpage.

On the same day, we had the pleasure of being joined by Andrew, from , for our free bike tune-up event. We received an overwhelming response, with a record-breaking 98 registrants for the free tune-up raffle. Regrettably, due to limited capacity, we could only accommodate a select number of participants, chosen through a random selection process from the registered individuals. Nonetheless, Andrew was able to successfully tune up a total of 26 bikes that day!

Considering the immense interest shown by the �Ӱ�ԭ�� community, we hope to host more of these events in the future. Stay tuned to our respective social media accounts and websites, Sustainability �Ӱ�ԭ�� and Healthy Workplace �Ӱ�ԭ��, for updates on upcoming events and initiatives. And mark your calendars because we will be back with another exciting month of cycling activities for Let’s Bike Month in June 2024!

*To calculate GHG savings, Let’s Bike Ottawa used the : 404g of CO2 are released per mile driven, which equals about 0.25g per km.

**To calculate cost savings, Let’s Bike Ottawa used the , which includes depreciation, maintenance, license and registration, insurance, and average monthly car payments for a 2016 Toyota Corolla. This works out to $0.61/km. If you want to know only fuel cost savings, it is currently estimated at $0.11/km.

�Ӱ�ԭ�� Celebrates Let’s Bike Month 2023

MichelleBilbo — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 19:38:34 +0000

�Ӱ�ԭ�� University is gearing up to celebrate Let’s Bike Month. This initiative aims to encourage students, staff, and faculty to embrace sustainable transportation options, particularly biking, throughout the month of June. In collaboration with Healthy Workplace, Sustainability �Ӱ�ԭ�� has an array of exciting activities planned to promote the benefits of cycling.

Road Ravens – �Ӱ�ԭ��’s Let’s Bike team

Let’s Bike Month kicks off with the opportunity to join the �Ӱ�ԭ�� team, Road Ravens, on . This friendly competition encourages members of the �Ӱ�ԭ�� community to commute by bike and track their progress. Participants can log their bike rides and get entered to win some exciting prizes, fostering a sense of camaraderie and motivation to choose cycling as a sustainable commuting option. Join the team .

Free Cycling Workshop

Healthy Workplace is also working with Envirocentre to host a cycling workshop, Discover Your City by Bike, on June 19th. This workshop will help inspire your next adventure by sharing some bikeable destinations in Ottawa that you may not be aware of and some top route planning tips. This workshop is for people of all ages and cycling abilities. The workshop is free, but registration is needed. Sign-up here.

Free Bike Tune-Ups

Sustainability �Ӱ�ԭ�� will also host a day of free bike tune-ups for faculty, staff, and students on campus. Come by and let them look at your bike, give you qualified advice, and give your bike a quick summer tune-up so you can take advantage of the many cycling paths Ottawa has to offer! We anticipate a lot of interest in this event, so registration will be required. We will draw names at random from the list of registrants. Stay tuned to our website and socials for more details and information about registration for the event.

And More!

In addition to these activities, we will also share some cycling tools and tips throughout the month to help encourage this sustainable transportation option.��

Let’s Bike Month at �Ӱ�ԭ�� serves as a reminder of the university’s dedication to sustainability and its commitment to reducing carbon emissions. By embracing cycling and encouraging the community to adopt active transportation, �Ӱ�ԭ�� aims to inspire long-lasting habits that contribute to a greener and healthier future.

To learn more about Let’s Bike Month and get involved in the various activities, visit �Ӱ�ԭ�� University’s Sustainability website.��Together, let’s pedal towards a more sustainable future!

�Ӱ�ԭ�� Opens Centre for Advanced Building Envelope Research

MichelleBilbo — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 16:23:07 +0000

�Ӱ�ԭ�� recognized as top performer in 2022 Sustainable Campus Index

philipmansfield — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 19:12:36 +0000

�Ӱ�ԭ�� University has been recognized as a top performer in the , achieving a top 10 ranking in the impact areas of Water and Wellbeing & Work. The recognition follows �Ӱ�ԭ��’s Gold AASHE STARS assessment, which was achieved earlier this year.

“�Ӱ�ԭ�� is committed to being a leader in sustainability and we have strong engagement and collaboration across campus,” says �Ӱ�ԭ�� President Benoit-Antoine Bacon. “There is still a lot of work to be done, but we can collectively take pride in this important recognition of our achievements to date.”

“This recognition confirms that our holistic approach to sustainability at �Ӱ�ԭ�� is on the mark,” says Lorraine Dyke, Vice-President (Finance and Administration). “There is a lot to look forward to as our program grows to enhance sustainability.”

“Congratulations to �Ӱ�ԭ�� University for their incredible sustainability accomplishments,” said AASHE’s Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “Upon reading about the innovative and high-impact initiatives within this report, I’m encouraged that the global sustainability transformation that we desperately need is, in fact, happening.”

A publication from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), the Sustainable Campus Index recognizes top-performing sustainable colleges and universities overall and in 17 impact areas, as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS).

�Ӱ�ԭ��’s STARS report is publicly available on the STARS website . To read more about �Ӱ�ԭ��’s sustainability initiatives, please visit carleton.ca/sustainability/