With Earth Hour on the horizon, we ask: “In what ways has Sheridan College further advanced the message of the event and thought of ways to live a more sustainable existence?”
For its 11-year history, Earth Hour has challenged people and organizations around the world to think about sustainability in new and creative ways. And Sheridan has taken on that challenge.
While the act of turning off your lights for one hour every year was a good start, we at Sheridan feel there is an opportunity to go beyond the hour, and live Earth Hour every minute, of every day.
Since 2013, we have been progressing to meet that goal.
With the introduction of programs such as the Integrated Energy and Climate Master Plan (IECMP), Sheridan has gone beyond the hour by beginning to implement modern energy-efficient systems throughout all campuses.
Some of the goals we hope to achieve with the IECMP include:
- Use at least 50% less source energy by 2020
- Create at least 60% fewer Greenhouse Gas emissions
- Create a campus-wide energy culture
- Create a national and community role model with world-class energy performance.
The best example we have to date is the efficiency showcased at the HMC B-Wing. One of our most recent builds, HMC B-Wing includes the newest and most energy-efficient fixtures, such as LED lighting, solar power, and more. It also has a smart system that interconnects all of the utilities with the building automation system.
In simple terms, the smart system helps the building react to the varying occupancy levels in main corridors, classrooms, offices etc. As the number of people in the facility increases, so does the activity of the HVAC and lighting systems and vice-versa for when the building is empty. This smart system completely shuts down those systems when it reads that zero people are in a given area, helping us reduce our overall energy usage and carbon footprint.
Using HMC B-Wing as the model for the future, we are working to make every building this energy-efficient to live, learn and work in.
Sheridan has also begun to reach out to our surrounding communities to share our expertise and become a point of reference for other institutions, lending a helping hand to create new community wide Energy Plans.
We have come a long way from the first Earth Hour in 2008 and we still have a long way to go… but if we keep on this course, we won’t need to celebrate sustainability just once a year — we will be celebrating it every day, every hour, every minute!
Now we would like to reach out to you and encourage you to do your part in daily life beyond the hour. Whether it’s something as simple as turning off the lights when not at home, checking your windows for leaks or installing a clothing line in stead of using your dryer, every little bit helps! It’s time to start living green beyond the hour.
If you wish to learn more about our Mission Zero initiative or better yet, get involved, please visit here: http://missionzero.sheridancollege.ca/get-involved/