{"id":101613,"date":"2025-05-15T18:55:05","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T22:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=101613"},"modified":"2025-07-10T14:03:41","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T18:03:41","slug":"growing-green-brock-charts-a-course-to-a-sustainable-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2025\/05\/growing-green-brock-charts-a-course-to-a-sustainable-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing green: Brock charts a course to a sustainable future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nestled atop the Niagara Escarpment and within a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, Brock University has grown in harmony with its natural surroundings over the past 60 years.<\/p>\n

Inspired by a commitment to preserve and protect its unique campus landscape, and guided by its Carbon Reduction Plan<\/a>, Brock is charting an ambitious course to achieve a 75 per cent reduction of its carbon footprint by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.<\/p>\n

Vice-President, Administration and Services Scott Johnstone says Brock is well on its way to achieving its 2030 target thanks to years of transformative thinking and leadership. The University has already marked a 67 per cent reduction in its overall carbon emissions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started off small \u2014 with initiatives such as waste diversion and recycling program improvements and high-efficiency lighting and occupancy sensing upgrades across classrooms and offices \u2014 and we\u2019re now working to be one of the most efficient universities in the country,\u201d he says. “It\u2019s been quite a journey from where we started to where we are now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Interim Director, Utilities and Services Drew Cullen (left), Interim Associate Vice-President, Facilities Management Mary Quintana and Vice-President, Administration and Services Scott Johnstone at an event where Brock received the Save on Energy 2025 Energy Management Excellence Award.<\/p><\/div>\n

While Brock has always championed sustainability initiatives, Johnstone says significant projects within the University\u2019s energy production and distribution portfolio beginning in 2016 provided a major lift toward reaching campus-wide sustainability goals.<\/p>\n

Phase One (2016-17) and Two (2018-19) of the District Energy Efficiency Project (DEEP)<\/a>, for example, saw the upgrade of the University\u2019s Co-generation Plant within the Central Utilities Building (CUB)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Johnstone says the DEEP significantly improved Brock\u2019s energy efficiency, lowered emissions and created a more resilient energy system supplying reliable electricity, heat and cooling to Brock\u2019s growing campus. In August 2020, the installation of the custom-built Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System<\/a> further helped the University analyze consumption patterns and improve operational efficiency.<\/p>\n

Completed in March, the District Energy System (DES) electrification project<\/a> \u2014 which transitioned the campus\u2019 central heating and cooling network to electric-powered chillers and boilers \u2014 marked the cumulation of nearly a decade of interconnected work on campus. It is projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 13,700 tonnes by 2030 by diversifying campus heat sources and reducing Brock’s use of natural gas.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a substantial endeavour that positions us as a leader in sustainability and carbon reduction,\u201d said Drew Cullen, Interim Director, Utilities and Services. \u201cThis diversified system not only supports the campus community in achieving their best today but will also enable us to better adapt to meet changing demands and challenges in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mary Quintana, Interim Associate Vice-President, Facilities Management, says Brock\u2019s approach to sustainability has been iterative and multifaceted.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur comprehensive, triple bottom line approach that engages our community in the process has been the core strength of our sustainability program,\u201d she says. \u201cBrock\u2019s long-standing history of matching incentive funding and full leadership support has allowed us to make a significant difference not only for the Niagara community, but for the world.”<\/p>\n

Implementation of the blackPAC Distributed Energy Resource Management System<\/a> and affiliated Campus Energy Dashboard<\/a>, for example, provide an accessible, real-time look at campus energy consumption and emissions. Campus-wide sustainability challenges using the ecoBoss app<\/a> and the community gardens<\/a> project further embedded students, faculty and staff into the University\u2019s sustainability journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cChange is hard, but we have a responsibility to be champions of sustainability initiatives. We\u2019ve been working with stakeholders across the university to realize the impact of their actions and see the positive impact of working together \u2014 including small things they already do every day,\u201d says Sustainability Coordinator Rebecca Anderson.<\/p>\n

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Brock has several significant hedgerows of Osage orange and honey locust trees that pre-date the University and have been preserved by Manager of Grounds Services John Dick and his team.<\/p><\/div>\n

As Brock continues to evolve, the development of a new transit hub to reduce bus idling time and affiliated emissions, as well as retrofits and automation to improve heating, ventilation, and air conditioning and building performance are among some future initiatives that will further reduce the campus\u2019 carbon footprint. Prioritizing the reuse of existing structures to accommodate campus expansion will also sustainably support Brock\u2019s future growth.<\/p>\n

Manager of Grounds Services John Dick says he has seen first-hand how the Niagara community values and respects their special place within the Niagara region.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the saying goes, we only have one Earth \u2014 let’s not forget that,\u201d he says. \u201cOur campus is so connected to nature and our community realizes the importance of preserving our own little corner of the Earth as a great place to live and study, now and in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional Brock sustainability highlights:<\/p>\n