Resources and Reports | Office of Sustainability

Resources

Responsible Consumption and Production

Climate Action

Partnerships for the Goals

There is always so much going on at Humber, and that includes what we're doing related to sustainability. On this page we share more detailed information about some of the areas we get the most questions about recycling, waste, transportation and energy conservation on campus. What else about campus sustainability would you like to learn more about? Let us know!

Employee CaGBC Benefits

Humber employees can access valuable Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC) resources, tools, education and opportunities!

Are you looking to engage with green building professionals across Canada? Become involved in your region, or nationally and apply to volunteer on leadership boards and committees.

Find the resources you need to continue contributing to Canada’s climate change solution to meet GHG reduction targets:

A Roadmap for Retrofit in Canada II and other CaGBC research
LEED resources
Zero Carbon Building Standard tools
Additional certification products and tools through GBCI CA – coming soon

Enhance your skills and practice with CaGBC Professional Development courses:

You gain access to these benefits when your CaGBC profile is connected to your company’s membership. Please refer to the attached PDF for complete instructions:

Managing your CaCBC membership

Energy Saving Tips

Did you know?

Nearly 30% of Humber’s electricity bill goes to lighting and 70% of our dependence on fossil fuels can be reduced by conserving energy, choosing energy efficient products and increasing renewable energy. Here are some energy saving tips:

For Students

Shut it Down. Finished with a school computer and looks like no one else will be using it? Turn off both the computer AND monitor. However, if another student is using the computer soon after, simply log off and turn off the monitor. Computers and monitors continuously draw power even when in sleep mode. By turning off these devices completely, you will help reduce Humber’s energy use.
Don’t Leave the Stairs Lonely. Elevators use a lot of energy to operate and should only be used when absolutely necessary. By taking the stairs instead of the elevator, you will also give yourself a free workout between classes. A ten minute walk up and down the stairs will burn about 102 calories!
Be a Role Model. Lead by example and encourage your friends and classmates to be energy efficient by sharing our tips with them! Keep a look out for volunteer opportunities at Humber and in your community that are focused on energy conservancy.

For Staff

Let Your Office Equipment Sleep Too! At the end of each day, get into the habit of turning off all office equipment, completely. Equipment such as computers, printers and other electronic devices continue to consume energy even when they are in standby mode - these are known as “vampire” loads. Request a durable power bar for your work station so you can easily group electronics and turn them all off at the end of the work day and on again in the morning when you arrive.
Hibernation Isn’t Only for Grizzly Bears. Take a minute to review your computer settings and enable hibernation mode. To automatically switch to sleep mode:
- PC users - click on the Windows “Start” button (bottom left corner), and click the arrow next to restart to click “Sleep”.
- Mac users - double click your System Preferences icon and select “Energy Saver”. From there, you can adjust the amount of time that can lapse until your desktop and computer go to sleep while inactive.
Natural Light is Your Best Friend. Many of Humber’s classrooms and offices are located in areas that receive direct sunlight throughout the day. Unless you need the blinds shut to avoid the glare on your computer screen, try opening the blinds during the day and avoid using overhead lighting. The natural light will brighten the entire room, and will help save energy! As an added bonus, keeping the blinds open throughout the day during the winter will add some extra heat to your office.

Fair Trade Campus

We are proud to hold the designation of Fair Trade Campus at our North and Lakeshore locations. Sustainability at Humber includes ethicial sourcing, joining this movement is an integral step in educating the Humber Community about making conscious consumption choices that are fair to everyone.

What is Fairtrade?

Fairtrade is a movement and a network of non-profit organizations that endeavors to improve the livelihoods of agricultural producers in developing countries by ensuring that producers receive a fair price for their products. These organizations set standards for Fairtrade Certified products, which are certified as being produced according to these standards.

Distinguishing Fairtrade Products:

Fairtrade Certified: Any product certified by a Fair Trade Labelling Organization, to meeting Fairtrade International standards, and bearing the International Fair Trade Certification Mark.
Fairtrade Labelling Organization: An organization, affiliated with the global Fair Trade network, which certifies products that meet Fair Trade standards.
Fairtrade Certification Mark: A trademarked emblem, that identifies Fair Trade certified products. License to use the trademark is only provided to Fair Trade certified producers.

What makes Humber a Fair Trade Campus?

Humber has made a commitement to supporting and educating about fair trade. This includes meeting certain criteria such as ensuring ensuring Fairtrade products are available on campus.

What can you do?

Support the movement! Make the purchase of Fairtrade Certified products on campus and in the community a priority
Stay up to date with the Fairtrade movement on campus by following us on social media: @SustainHumber
Learn more by visiting Fairtrade Canada online

Where can I buy Fairtrade products on campus?

North Campus:

Gourmet Express - Coffee, Tea and Chocolate
Humber Room- Coffee, and Tea
GH Café- Coffee (Espresso, Italian Roast, Decaf Medium Fairtrade, Fairtrade Café Estima), Tea and Chocolate
Street Café- Coffee, Tea and Chocolate
Bookstore- Chocolate
Hawks Nest- Chocolate
Trades Café - Chocolate
Residence Dining Hall - Chocolate
Vending Machines - Chocolate
Food Emporium- Chocolate
Staff Lounge - Coffee, Tea and Chocolate
Food Services Catering- Coffee, Tea and Chocolate
Starbucks (LRC) - Espresso, Italian Roast, Decaf Medium Fairtrade, Fairtrade Café Estima

Lakeshore Campus:

Media Buzz (F Building)
Commons Eatery (L Building),
On The Go (L Building),
Starbucks (espresso only),
Food Services Catering
Vending Machines

Fair Trade Campus News:

Green Building Standards

Humber College adopted Green Building Standards for all construction and building retrofits at the institution. You can download the full standards according to building type below:

Learn more by accessing the Green Building Standards page.

Part of the Green Building Standards mandate is the creation of a Green Project Summary featuring key information about the build (Section 7). Download the Green Project Summary Template and update pictures and text with information pertaining to the project at hand. As outlined in the Green Building Standards, send completed Green Building Summary to sustainability@humber.ca.

Petition: Give Humber Students Agency in Climate Crisis

In 2019, a petition was launched from the Humber community that sparked a discussion between college leadership and the Office of Sustainability about the status of Humber's Sustainability Plan, what the future might look like, and what work we can do now to prepare for the future.

Read the full response to the petition here.

Secure Bike Parking

Students and staff can now park their bikes in Humber’s Secure Bike Parking, located at the Commuter Hub (PG) at North and the parking garage at Welcome Centre at Lakeshore. The cost for the year is $12 - pay online though MyHumber.

For more information about registration, parking or other, please email s ustainability@humber.ca or reference the “How to Register and Pay for Secure Bike Parking.”

Sustainability Features Map

We welcome you to download and share the Sustainability Features Map with your friends and colleagues. Discover new, sustainable programs & offices on campus.

Click here to download the Sustainability Features Map:

Sustainability Toolkit for Meetings & Events

The Office of Sustainability would like to announce the publication of our new Sustainability Toolkit for Meetings and Events. This guide will help faculty, staff, and students integrate more sustainable initiatives and facets into their meetings and events.

Our goal is to minimize the amount of materials and waste generated at events and to follow our Sustainability Value which is, to preserve our collective future by embracing the full impact of our decisions.

We have implemented tips and tricks that are fully applicable at Humber College. We welcome you to download and share the toolkit with your friends and colleagues.

Click here to download the Toolkit:

Sustainability Toolkit for Meetings & Events

Take Back the Tap

Did you know 80% of the bottled water we buy end up in landfills? The Take Back the Tap campaign aims to educate the Humber community about the negative impacts of drinking from single-use plastic bottles and to choose the better alternative of tap water instead.

We encourage students, staff, and faculty to commit to using their reusable bottles by pledging to #TakeBackTheTap, which will help us achieve our goal of reducing the consumption and sale of plastic bottled water on campus. This is a pressing issue for many reasons, including the following:

Plastic waste generated by bottled water adds to the 18 billion pounds of plastic that ends up in the ocean each year;
PET plastic fragments release toxins which pollute our oceans and soil, and harm all life;
Our safe and high quality municipal tap water is tested and monitored frequently;
Clean drinking water is a basic human right, not a commodity.

See our FACT SHEET for more reasons on why you should #TakeBackTheTap.

Transportation Demand Management

Humber's Transportation Demand Management (TDM) outlines strategies that will provide our campus community with greater access to sustainable transportation alternatives.

Transportation Demand Management Plan 2018-2022

Waste Sorting Activity

Our office developed a waste-sorting activity called Sort it Out, to help students, staff and faculty learn how to correctly sort their items at Humber College.

Download and play this game in your next meeting, class or at home for fun!

Sort it Out - Waste Sorting Activity

How to play Sort it Out:

Decide which bin the disposable item goes in (garbage, recycling, compost or paper) by choosing heads or tails; if you choose heads, put your hands on your head, if you choose tails, put your hands behind your back.
The next slide will reveal the correct answer; if you get the answer wrong, please stop playing the game.
The last person(s) playing is the winner!

Please contact us if you would like a Sustainability staff member to faciliate this activity.

WWF Living Planet @ Campus

Humber College and University of Guelph-Humber students have the opportunity to take part in the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Living Planet @ Campus program.

The Living Planet @ Campus program works with our office to deliver inclusive, skill-building and impactful programming, If you sign up for the program, you can earn WWF's Living Planet Leader designation, which will give you knowledge, skills and experience to lead in establishing sustainable systems and practices in your future career.

To learn more about Living Planet @ Campus, visit campus.wwf.ca.

Interested in becoming a WWF Living Planet Leader? Click here to learn how to apply.

Reports

Sustainable Cities and Communities

"You can't manage what you don't measure."

Humber produces a number of reports which guide and track our targets, and help us share our progress with the community.

Annual Waste Audits

Humber engages a third party to conduct a waste audit annually.

GHG Inventory Reports

Integrated Energy Master Plan (IEMP) Progress Reports

Sustainability Reports

Take a look at our plans and commitments for the next five years:

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) is the leading association for the advancement of sustainability in higher education. Humber is an AASHE member, which provides access to sustainability-related best practices and strategies, tools, information and guidance. Did you know? Humber's membership applies to everyone at Humber! If you are a student, staff or faculty, you can create an account using your Humber email for full access to AASHE member resources. Questions? Contact AASHE Member Relations.

STARS

The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance administered by AASHE. Humber reports to STARS every three years. In October 2019, Humber re-certified with STARS 2.2 and achieved a Gold rating. We have made great strides in campus sustainability since our first report in 2013.

Reports