Ridley College, St. Catharine’s, Ontario

Fostering Sustainability developed a comprehensive Sustainability Master Plan (SMP) for RidleyCollege.  It includes plans for the College to become a model of environmentally responsible living by conserving resources and reducing waste and by supporting the incorporation of sustainability across the curriculum.  The Ridley SMP program and action plan has four areas of focus: Facilities Management, Resources and Institutional Support; Community, and Education.

The Sustainability Master Plan includes a campus eco-footprint “report card” that can be used by management to track progress annually, strategies for engaging the College community in environmental sustainability initiatives, changing attitudes and behaviours and promoting a “sustainability mindset”, and tools for educating the College in conservation and demand management.

A significant part of the plan is focused on reducing the environmental impacts of the school’s buildings and operations. For example, as part of the Sustainability Master Plan, Ridley now has a Sustainable Energy Plan aimed at reducing the College’s energy consumption by 33% over five years. Equally as important are the sections that look at ways for the school community to contribute to achieving the school’s environmental sustainability goals by supporting students in becoming informed and engaged environmental citizens, through what is taught in the classroom, and also in the examples that are set outside of the classroom, in offices, in residences and the dining hall.