Campus praised for going green

Ryerson University was cited for its green initiatives in the Council of Ontario Universities (external link, opens in new window) ’ (COU) annual Going Greener report.

Now in its seventh year, the report examines how Ontario universities integrate sustainability into campus life and operations. It demonstrates the commitment of Ontario’s university sector and campus communities (staff, students, faculty, researchers and local partners) to engage with climate change and sustainability issues.

The Centre for Urban Energy (opens in new window)  was noted in the section on Game-Changing Environmental Research “for developing sustainable solutions to major challenges related to climate change.” Since launching in 2010, the Centre’s initiatives have included smart grid technologies, energy storage, electric vehicles, net-zero homes and renewables. It has also hosted 21 energy-related startups in its incubation lab, iCUE (opens in new window) .

The Ryerson Urban Farm (external link, opens in new window)  was also recognized as a unique food sustainability initiative. The quarter-acre rooftop vegetable farm on the Andrew and Valerie Pringle Environmental Green Roof produced 3,588kg of food and $18,634 in revenue in 2015 alone. “Ryerson has had a major impact on the potential to improve the quality of life of communities in the downtown core and practices in environmental sustainability,” said the report.

For more information view the  (PDF file) Going Greener report (external link, opens in new window) .