TORONTO, ONTARIO –Humber College has been named one of Canada's Greenest Employers for the eighth year in a row by MediaCorp Canada. This award celebrates organizations that prioritize environmental values and integrate them into their organizational culture.
"Sustainability is one of our core values and an essential part of Humber's identity," says Lindsay Walker, associate director, Sustainability. "It’s ingrained in our behaviour, culture, and practices. Our commitment to sustainability also extends to the way we educate our students. We want to prepare them for the future and help them understand their power to make a positive impact on the world, no matter which field they enter.”
Humber is committed to promoting sustainability and setting a national example. To achieve this, the college incorporates sustainable practices in all its operations and developments, with a focus on low and zero-carbon, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure. Humber has taken a significant step towards this goal by pledging to construct all new buildings to achieve LEED Platinum certification, including the Humber Cultural Hub which is scheduled to become the community's new centre for arts and culture upon its opening in 2026.
The college's sustainable initiatives:
• Humber’s Early Childhood Education program has developed ‘Two-Eyed Land-Based Play and Co-Learning' - based on Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of being, knowing and doing. This pedagogy encourages holistic engagement on the land; nurturing relationality, and practices of giving back to the earth.
• SWITCH is a bold infrastructure project aimed at addressing North Campus' largest source of carbon dioxide emissions, the heating and cooling systems, by transitioning from a steam-based system to a modern hot water system mostly powered by electricity. SWITCH will reduce natural gas consumption by 70% and cut emissions by 40% at the North campus, helping Humber reach net zero by 2050 as set out in the Climate Action Plan.
• Humber is working to become a low-waste campus to align with the government’s ban on single-use plastics. Its reusable container program is active across Humber’s two main campuses, in addition to three low-waste event spaces. In the program’s first year, more than one hundred thousand disposable containers avoided landfills.
• The campuses serve as “living labs” for instructing students in sustainable construction and efficient operation practices, preparing them to build thriving communities and shape the future of sustainability in their careers. For example, the Humber Cultural Hub construction project at the Lakeshore campus is serving as a living laboratory for sustainable construction practices and efficient operation.
• Humber College partnered with the City of Toronto for the second Beyond COVID-19: Global Systems Gap Challenge. Over six weeks, more than 400 students from 32 countries used a systems-thinking mindset to identify paths to future solutions to pressing urban challenges in one of four themes: arts & culture, economic development, health & wellness, and social innovation. Working alongside experienced mentors, students collaborated in teams to identify systemic and sustainable change needed for the City of Toronto to thrive.
To learn more about Humber's long-term sustainability vision and goals, visit humber.ca/sustainability.
- 30 -
About Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
Innovation. Opportunity. Partnership. Support. At Humber College, we bring it all to more than 86,000 learners, in-person and online. As a global leader in polytechnic education, Humber provides in-depth theoretical learning, hands-on, work-integrated experiences and applied research opportunities to students at three main Toronto locations and beyond. Extensive industry connections, experienced faculty and a comprehensive range of credentials, including honours undergraduate degrees, Ontario graduate certificates, diplomas, apprenticeships, and certificates prepare career-ready global citizens for success in the future world of work. Visit humber.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Sylvie Lendvay
Media Relations and External Communications Specialist
Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
sylvie.lendvay@humber.ca | 416.729.8940