When it comes to environmental sustainability, Camosun College isn’t doing a bad job. The college has a relatively small footprint compared to larger institutions like UVic. However, there is always room for improvement. The COVID-19 crisis has, reasonably, diverted the world’s attention away from other pressing problems such as climate change, but climate change and other forms of pollution have not waited for us to get back on our feet. Doing “not bad” might not be good enough as the world continues to warm, more trash ends up in landfills, and biodiversity declines.
Institutions like Camosun are an important line of defence in the fight against environmental calamity. Universities and colleges, unlike private companies, cannot shy away from tough ethical and environmental questions without falling into hypocrisy. They must, quite literally, practice what they preach, or at least strive to. By practicing sustainability Camosun can set a good example for its students and challenge other institutions like UVic to keep up.
It’s not enough to use environmental rhetoric and make token gestures. Camosun must be a leader on the island, in the province, in Canada.
Here’s what it needs to do.
Lately, when talking about the environment, the first things that come to mind are climate change and carbon emissions. I looked at Camosun’s emissions over the last decade and found both hope and concern.
Camosun had significantly reduced its emissions every year from 2011 to 2014 but they rose again from 2015 to 2019. In 2018, Camosun’s emissions rose above its 2012 levels again for the first time and maintained that height in 2019. According to Camosun’s 2017 Carbon Neutrality Report, the significant emissions increase in 2017 was due to the failure of heat pumps at the Centre for Trades Education and Innovation building at Interurban, but no explanation is given for why those numbers were higher in 2018 and 2019.
Camosun has not yet released a Carbon Neutrality Report for 2020 or 2021 but one would expect a significant reduction in 2020 due to the pandemic and the college’s transition to online learning.
Since 2012, the college has spent between approximately $36,000 and $50,000 per year on carbon offsets required by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. These payments have allowed Camosun to stay “carbon neutral” despite recent increases in emissions. This kind of monetary compensation for carbon emissions is good in that it provides funding for the Ministry but is bad because it arguably allows Camosun to sit on its haunches when it comes to taking larger action.
Buildings and heating are Camosun’s largest source of emissions and accounted for approximately 96 percent of Camosun’s total emissions in 2018. As Camosun moves forward, it will need to redouble its commitment to eliminating carbon emissions across both campuses. Old buildings like Young are notorious for their poor insulation and heat retention—if you’ve ever sat beside one of those old ornate windows on a cold day, you know what I mean. That kind of heat loss is especially detrimental when combined with non-renewable sources of heating.
It’s difficult to find a balance between preserving heritage sites and retrofitting for sustainability, but sustainability should be the priority. In combination with these retrofits, Camosun must transition to renewable sources of heating and electricity by replacing all remaining oil and gas with electric water heaters and modern heat pumps.
Paper and Camosun’s vehicle fleet make up the other four percent of annual emissions and should also be addressed. Camosun could reduce paper usage by moving to virtual methods of transmitting information and could eliminate its vehicle carbon emissions by transitioning to a 100-percent electric fleet (obviously, this comes at a large initial financial cost).
Not included in Camosun’s reports is the vehicle usage of students and staff. Offering incentives to commuters to find alternatives to driving should also be part of Camosun’s plan going forward. Having a bus pass included in the cost of tuition is a great example of something Camosun is already doing.
Camosun understands where it needs to improve and has tried to adapt. Retrofitting projects have taken place over the years and Camosun has ensured that new construction meets the LEED Gold standard. But Camosun’s efforts so far are not enough. Finding innovative ways to make energy use sustainable should be Camosun’s top priority when it comes to eliminating emissions.
Carbon emissions are just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to environmental sustainability. Waste is also detrimental to a sustainable future. And while Camosun has made efforts to manage its waste, the current system seems a little out of date. For example, students and staff are likely familiar with the recycling stations on campus (and there are lots of them), but what about soft plastics? The good news is that there is one spot at Interurban where students can drop off soft plastics (in the atrium in the Centre for Business and Access); the bad news is there used to be three drop-off spots at Lansdowne and there are currently none.
Unfortunately, despite Camosun’s recycling efforts, 69 percent of Camosun’s waste still goes to the landfill. Camosun should launch a detailed investigation to find out how so much waste is getting through and come up with a plan tailored to close those gaps. Modernizing the recycling program and making it more effective would be a great move toward reducing waste. But as we know, the word “recycle” comes after the words “reduce” and “reuse.” Eliminating sources of plastic and other non-compostable materials at Camosun should be a top priority as well.
Camosun’s cafeterias, run by Aramark, are particularly problematic when it comes to producing plastic. According to Camosun’s website, the plastic cutlery in the Urban Diner and Campus Caf are compostable, but that still leaves a plethora of plastic packagings like sushi and sandwich containers, coffee cup lids, plastic wrap, and more that need to be phased out. One easy option is paper packaging, which, yes, contributes to deforestation, but at least doesn’t take 500 years to decompose like plastic. Modern alternatives like bioplastics that decompose when sorted correctly would be even better.
Camosun currently offers a $0.25 discount on coffee when you bring your own cup. What about a $0.25 discount for bringing your own fork or spoon? Camosun should require companies conducting business on campus, like Aramark, to move toward being plastic-free. Camosun’s bookstores are not as bad but wrapping course packs in plastic seems unnecessary. It’s little things like these that add up over time. Investigating sources of plastic produced on campus and eliminating them would go a long way toward reducing Camosun’s overall waste. Camosun currently supports a recycling program for pens and markers, but it’s voluntary, on a departmental basis. To participate, someone from a participating department must volunteer to personally take used pens and pencils to a Staples store. Instead of doing this by department, perhaps the college could take over the transportation side of this program, require departments to participate, and create a drop-off spot for students to recycle their used office supplies as well.
Food matters when it comes to environmental sustainability, and this is something that Camosun and Aramark are doing quite well with. Sourcing food locally helps to keep transportation and associated emissions low. According to Camosun’s website, as of 2014/2015, Aramark sourced 43 percent of its food from within British Columbia and 75 to 80 percent from within Canada. These numbers can always be improved but they are already substantial. 100 percent of Aramark’s seafood was sustainably sourced and 100 percent of their eggs were cage-free.
It’s unfortunate that the latest available data displayed on the college’s site is from 2014/2015; consistent updates would be helpful and show that Camosun is actively monitoring Aramark’s commitment to sustainability.
Sustainable seafood is of particular importance to British Columbia as Pacific fish stocks decline year after year and affect our oceans’ biodiversity. Sourcing ethical eggs doesn’t sound like an environmental issue, but it all ties together: respecting a chicken’s life goes hand in hand with respecting all animal life on earth. By supporting ethically sourced food, one indirectly supports the preservation and protection of life everywhere.
Although Aramark sources 100 percent of its beef from within Canada (according to a 2013 report), conditions on those farms are not mentioned on Camosun’s site or in reports. Unfortunately, beef can be difficult and expensive to obtain responsibly. Mass production of beef and dairy cows produce large amounts of methane. Methane contributes to climate change just like carbon dioxide but is even more powerful when it comes to warming. This is where individual action should come in. By choosing to support alternative sources of protein one can reduce the demand for methane-intensive animals and, by extension, methane emissions and animal suffering.
When food is sent to the landfill it also produces large amounts of methane, much more than if it were composted. Food waste not only contributes to methane emissions, but it also wastes all the time, energy, and land that went into producing that food in the first place. Aramark reduced its food waste by 29 percent in 2017, by 37 percent in 2018, and by 2.2 percent in 2019. This is, again, substantial.
Camosun’s Professional Cook program purportedly also maximizes food use and composts its excess. No numbers were available on this on Camosun’s site, so perhaps Camosun should look more closely at this program and ensure that it is as efficient as possible in managing its waste.
It seems that when it comes to food waste and sourcing, Aramark and Camosun are doing well, but that does not mean they should become complacent. Raising awareness around responsible eating should be a focus going forward.
Camosun’s campuses span over 120 acres and much of that land is inhabited by plant and animal life. We are lucky to be living and learning in a place that is green and alive. And, naturally, we should strive to keep it that way.
Camosun is pretty unintrusive when it comes to landscaping and grounds maintenance. The college doesn’t use pesticides in any of its gardening, which is important for protecting waterways and pollinators. To further protect the Colquitz River, the college has a bioswale system in place at Interurban to reduce soil erosion and runoff. And to further support pollination, Camosun introduced mason bee boxes where mason bees can lay their eggs.
In addition to these initiatives, Lansdowne is also home to a beautiful and important Garry oak ecosystem.
Southern Vancouver Island is one of the only places in the world that supports Garry oak ecosystems. Colonization and urban development have contributed to the Garry oak’s marginalization and decline. Garry oaks and many of the species that depend on this unique ecosystem are now endangered. When it comes to protecting ecosystems, it’s up to individuals and landowners to protect what they have, where they live. Camosun can’t do much of anything to protect or rehabilitate the Amazon rainforest, for example, but it can do everything when it comes to protecting and rehabilitating Garry oak ecosystems. Camosun has committed to the responsible stewardship of the land it’s on, but the college could be doing more to promote the restoration of the Garry oak ecosystem on campus. With time and effort, it might be possible to convert some of Lansdowne’s extensive grass fields back into habitat for native species like Garry oaks. Camosun has a rare opportunity to be a sanctuary for Garry oaks and other native species. It could also be an opportunity for Camosun to make good on its commitment to integrated priorities and Indigenization.
The Lekwungen people have been collecting camas, an edible bulb associated with Garry oak ecosystems, for thousands of years. As these ecosystems decline, so does camas, and it’s becoming more difficult for First Nations people to practice this traditional harvest. First Nations people once practiced regular burns, which helped to sustain Garry oak ecosystems by creating deep soil and controlling competing species. Camosun could learn from this traditional knowledge and include First Nation leaders in the restoration process. Camosun has already taken steps in this direction with the Na’tsa’maht Indigenous Plant Garden. Next, Camosun could look toward removing non-native plants and gardens campus-wide and replacing them with indigenous plants as well.
Building relationships with Indigenous peoples is paramount if Camosun is to build a respectful relationship with the land and the environment. This is true not just for protecting land, but for everything, including emissions, waste, and food. It is essential to remember that this land is not the rightful property of settlers and that Indigenous peoples have thousands of years of knowledge when it comes to maintaining it.
The issues and solutions raised in this piece are not groundbreaking or revolutionary, but they do call for Camosun to act on and increase its commitments to the environment. And the college is not ignorant of the areas where it can improve its sustainability. Camosun’s 2018/2019 – 2021/2022 Sustainability Plan is broken down into these categories: Energy & Emissions, Waste & Recycling, Food, and Transportation. That covers nearly every aspect of environmental sustainability and stewardship.
The challenging part of sustainability and environmental action is not figuring out what needs to be done—it’s allocating resources and organizing people to make action happen. Camosun’s 2018 plan outlined clear three-year goals such as “A Formal Energy Management Plan supported by an Energy Manager,” “monthly and annual resource consumption reporting,” a “Waste Management Plan,” increased awareness of “local, plant-based, and sustainable” food systems on campus, transportation initiatives, and a commitment to include Indigenous peoples and ways of knowing in the challenge of sustainability. These short-term goals seem to be aimed at building systems that allow future action; systems that will organize action. This is a step in the right direction and should hopefully set Camosun on track for achieving its long-term goals. These include 90-percent waste diversion by 2030, striving for zero-waste food services by 2030, and reducing emissions to 80 percent below 2007 levels by 2050.
Current decision-makers must take affirmative action toward achieving these short- and long-term goals and challenge themselves to achieve them ahead of their deadlines. That is what it means to be a leader in environmental sustainability, and Nexus will be watching to see if Camosun College has what it takes to be that leader.