Brock is aiming to reduce its carbon emissions over the next 10 years as part of the Niagara Sustainability Initiative (NSI) — a not-for-profit group that helps local organizations measure and reduce their emissions.
The University is a participating organization in the project, which offers cost-reduced carbon management software and other items essential to being sustainable.
Facilities Management is leading Brock’s involvement.
“Our objective as part of this initiative is to help the University progressively reduce its carbon footprint,” said Tom Saint-Ivany, Associate Vice-President, Facilities Management. “We are looking to first understand the extent of our institution’s carbon emissions and then achieve a specified target reduction over a 10-year period.”
Monitoring and data collection will start in January 2012. The University will use data from that year to establish the baseline levels of its carbon emissions.
The initiative will bring together various groups at the University to monitor their carbon contributions. This includes Facilities Management, Procurement Services, Food Services, Residences, Conference and Event Services and the Campus Store. Student groups and organizations will also be involved as the program evolves.
The following Brock properties in Niagara will be monitored though this initiative:
- main campus
- east campus
- Rodman Hall
- the Brock Research and Innovation Centre
New buildings and future property acquisitions will also be included in the program.
The Carbon Project will monitor direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from sources owned or controlled by the University. This includes boilers, generation facilities, furnaces and vehicles; indirect GHG emission from electricity purchased by the University; and indirect GHG emissions from employee air and rail business travel.
Brock is aiming for a Bronze level of carbon reduction. That means a 20 per cent reduction in GHG emission intensity relative to the 2012 baseline over a 10-year period from 2013 to 2023.
Other participating partners in the NSI initiative include Walker Industries, the City of Welland, Niagara College, Creative Sign Works and Synchro Engineering.
