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Sustainability in our Operations

Targets and Reports

St Lawrence College aspires to be carbon neutral by 2050 in order to mitigate the effects of Climate Changes. SLC is a proud member of Sustainable Kingston. For our efforts in 2017 and 2018, SLC received the award for Greatest Amount of GHG Emission Reduction from Sustainable Kingston.  In 2020, St. Lawrence College hired a third party contractor to conduct in-depth energy analysis on each of our three Campuses. This report will help us map our GHG reductions target to zero.

Energy Reduction Efforts

  • Energy Efficient lighting retrofit – ongoing replacement program
  • Tri Campus Level 2 Energy Audits in 2018
  • Tri- Campus Level 3 Energy Audits in 2020

Sustainable Energy

Solar PV

In 2012, St. Lawrence College decided to participate in the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) Feed-in Tariff program by installing rooftop solar PV systems at both their Kingston and Brockville campuses. The College’s goals for this project were two-fold: generate power and revenue through the OPA Feed-inTariff program, and provide students with the best, most leading-edge learning experience possible.

Since the College wanted to utilize the solar pv system in Kingston as an innovative learning tool for its students, much thought was put into how to maximize the design and the learning experience.

At the time of connection to the grid in 2012, the St. Lawrence College Project was the first of its kind in any post-secondary institution in Canada.

The project holds the record for being the:

  • first post-secondary FIT project installed in Ontario
  • the largest post-secondary solar project in Canada (at the time of connection to the grid)

The Kingston campus consists of over 1,128 panels with actual annual revenue of $216,000. The Brockville campus consists of 442 panels with actual annual revenue of $76,000 per year. This incentive rate is guaranteed until 2032.

Waste Diversion

Audits

SLC has committed to diverting 70% of composting and recycling generated on campus by 2024.   During COVID SLC added a PPE waste diversion program to help keep PPE out of landfills.

Composting

In all SLC cafeterias, composting is now available!  You will see there are 4 different choices to place your recycling, composting or landfill waste. Help reduce GHG emissions and divert your food waste from landfills!  

Do not place compostable food containers in the grey paper section 

Recycling Programs

We are working with the Electronic Recycling Association to provide permeant E-Waste Bins on all three Campuses and we are collaborating with Green Circle Salon, and our Hairstyling and Esthetics Programs. Green Circle Salon is a hair salon-recycling program that diverts recyclable & repurposes hair clippings, used foils, color-tubes, excess hair color, papers and plastics, glass, and spa waste, and divert them from landfills and waterway.

We are a smoke free campus, but provide cigarette butt recycling receptacles and recycling them with TerraCycle.

Our Kingston Campus is also collaborating with local charity to offer convenient donation bin for staff and student to donate old clothes or household items.

In 2021 SLC revamped our recycling and composting signage. The most important thing students and staff can do to help us meet our waste diversion goals, is to get you know our color codes!

  • Green = Compost

  • Grey = Paper

  • Blue = Plastic/Metal/Glass

  • Brown = Cardboard

  • Black = Landfill

How We Recycle

  1. Make sure you place the correct waste in the correct location by knowing your color codes! Items placed in the incorrect location can result in the entire bag sent to landfills instead of being recycled.
  2. Remove coffee cup lids and place them in the PLASTIC/GLASS/METAL recycling diversion location. Coffee cups aren’t recyclable on campus. Please place them in the Landfill location
  3. Rinse all PLASTIC/METAL/GLASS items prior to placing them in the recycling bin. Food waste is considered contamination and can result in the items being diverted to landfills instead of the recycling facility. 
  4. COMPOST all compostable containers with food leftovers inside. Do not place them in the PAPER bin. You can not recycle paper products with food contamination.

SLC Supports Springfield Farms

LEED Buildings

Student Life and Innovation Centre

Our 80,000ft2 new build is target LEED Gold designation through the Canada Green Building Council. The new build includes; double gymnasium, eight change rooms, therapy room, athletics office, and a student pub, a large venue space that can be subdivided into three equal spaces, or opened as a single space. The building features a deck to the outside from the large venue space and fitness space, 12 private study rooms, storage, and washrooms. Energy efficient features include:

  • Geothermal Exchange System
  • Heat Recovery of Exhaust Air Systems
  • Lighting Controls and LED Lighting
  • Efficient Windows and Envelope
  • Window blind control
  • Reflective Roof Membrane

During construction, 90% of the construction waste was diverted from landfills and 100% of the wood used in construction was sustainability harvested

Newcourt House

Built in the early 1840’s for the Honorable Hamilton Killaly, Welland Canal Engineer, and Chairman of Public works at the time. The property and land was also used as a farm by Ontario’s “Asylum for the Insane at Kingston” and used to produce food for the local hospital system.

Today, the historical building houses SLC’s Centre for Behavioral Studies and in 2018, it underwent its first major renovation. Working under the LEED Building standards, and compiling with the Historic Society in Kingston, this building will consume 56% less energy and reduce Green House Gas emission by 60%.