Sustainable Campus - Initiatives

In the Newsthe old boiler

Thanks to funding from BC Hydro and the Province through the Public Sector Energy Conservation Agreement, the Facilities Department has upgraded one of the 30 year old boilers. The Cleaver Brooks broiler, rated 4 million BTUs, was replaced with a condensing boiler, rated 2 million BTUs. This change substantially reduces our carbon footprint. In 2011 we hope to replace the remaining Cleaver Brooks boiler. The energy savings will pay for the cost of the new boiler in 10 years.

the new boiler

Emily Carr University of Art + Design was recently ranked 2nd by Corporate Knights Magazine in an evaluation of Industrial Design programs in Canada. This ranking analyzes how Canadian universities and colleges fare in integrating sustainability into the school experience.

Associate Professor Louise St. Pierre attended the Global Summit on Design Education and Sustainability in October. The conference, hosted by The Designers Accord, convened 100 individuals from the world's most distinguished academic and professional institutions, for two days of highly participatory discussion, planning and action around the topic of design education and sustainability in undergraduate and graduate design programs.

The University Advancement Office has recently made changes to printing Visions, the Emily Carr newsletter. In a move to become more sustainable, the newsletter is now printed on 50% recycled content and contains 25% post-consumer waste.  The continued use of vegetable and soy-based inks helps prevent air and water pollution. The newsletter is now printed twice a year, cutting down approximately 7,000 copies, and an appeal has been made to readers to switch to an e-mail-able version. You can also read Visions online.

Student Projects

Think Outside the Bottle, a project initiated by Associate Professor Louise St. Pierre, tasked students with developing unique and inspired alternatives to purchasing bottled water.

Water Wear: Image courtesy of Angela HendersonWater Wear, by current student Angela Henderson, is a concept that challenges the use of disposable water bottles. This concept is taken from a gun holster; rather than being used to hold a weapon the holster facilitates carrying water on the body. The vessel is grown from a gourd into a mold, making it a compostable bottle.

 

Hydro Palm, by current student Sid Chen promises users they can "drink wherever they want". Just like drinking from your hands, Hydro Palm gives users the flexibility and convenience of their own body parts while maximizing the performance to its uttermost. It's portable, washable, sustainable, and most importantly, it does not leak.