SUSTAINABILITY
The Ontario College of Art & Design is committed to advancing responsible environmental practices and promoting sustainability through its academic and administrative programs and practices. OCAD wishes to engage its stakeholders, both internally and externally, in discussing and taking actions to reduce waste, increase recycling and limit carbon emissions. The university will continue to support and launch initiatives that reflect the concern the OCAD community shares regarding environmental responsibility and sustainability, and will be an active champion for innovation that advances “green” thinking and practices.
Sustainability Task Force
OCAD’s Sustainability Task Force is composed of students, faculty and staff and is responsible for developing strategies to improve institutional sustainability, promote environmentally responsible practices and highlight existing “green” activities. The Sustainability Task Force is developing strategic partnerships between OCAD and external organizations with the goal of improving our university’s positive impact on the environment and raising awareness of sustainable practices.
Sustainability Office
The role of the Sustainability Office is to coordinate all sustainability initiatives on campus. The office will work closely with the Sustainability Task Force, the Sustainability Working Group of the New Ecology of Learning (NEL), and the Sustainability Salon.
Sustainability Office Coordinator Sheila Waite-Chuah (who is also a faculty member in the Faculty of Design’s Industrial Design program) has been involved in sustainability curriculum at OCAD for many years, and brings to this position her background in art and design (AOCA, 1977) and more recently environmental studies (she holds a master’s degree in this field from York University). Waite-Chuah represented OCAD at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) conference in 2008, meeting with participants from hundreds of schools across North America in discussions around “greening” the campus and curricula.
For more information:
Sheila Waite-Chuah, BA, AOCA, MES
Sustainability Office Coordinator
416-977-6000, Ext. 2262
Last Modified:06/04/2010 8:59:54 AM