Goal 12 - Institutional Stewardship Initiatives

Institutional Stewardship Initiatives

Augustana Campus’s Sustainable Food Policy

Augustana Campus Dining Hall serves 300–400 meals three times a day. The dining hall’s approach puts quality ahead of convenience: meals are prepared on site primarily using basic ingredients, rather than coming pre-cooked or packaged. The kitchen sources a portion of its ingredients from local providers (within 200 km), reducing the carbon footprint necessary for transport. Local ingredients include beef, pork, vegetables, eggs, and flour. 

Augustana Campus abides by a Sustainable Food Policy that reads, in part:

Our first priority is to provide safe, fresh and nutritious food. Our second priority is to support forms of food production and processing that sustain the environment, our regional rural economy and farm livelihoods. We understand that those priorities are not necessarily in conflict; often the second complements the first.

Recycling Street Team

The Sustainability Council’s volunteer program includes the Recycling Street Team, a group of undergrad and graduate students who champion waste reduction and develop educational campaigns. In the past, the team has helped collect recyclables at Golden Bears and Pandas athletics games, reaching thousands of spectators with their message.

Reusable Dish Program

The Students’ Union runs the Reusable Dish Program, giving event planners across the university an easy, free way to stop using single-use plates, cutlery and cups at events. This student-run service loans out reusable dishes and mugs and takes care of all the washing and inventory management Event planners only need to pick up and return the wares.

Sustainable Procurement

Supply Management Services has worked for many years to incorporate sustainability into their operations. In 2018, they launched a Sustainable Purchasing Network to circulate best practices, foster collaboration between interested staff and stimulate pilot projects within varied work units. This network builds on earlier ad hoc initiatives, the Sustainable Swag Purchasing Guide and PaperCut Initiative.

The university’s preferred supplier system enables efficient delivery of goods and allows the university to push for green products and practices from its suppliers. A Sustainable Procurement Guidelines and Supplier Code outlines expectations for ethical, social and environmental practices from the university’s suppliers.

Waste Free Edmonton

Faculty of Law alumni Melissa Gorrie and Sean Stepchuk are using their backgrounds in law reform and policy to advocate for the elimination of single-use plastics in Edmonton. In 2018, they founded Waste Free Edmonton, a community group that includes many current University of Alberta students. The group has expanded rapidly, launching the Becoming Less podcast, organizing campaigns and delivering curriculum-specific education to Division II and III students in Edmonton.

🔗 Tips to Free You From Plastic

Gorrie and Stepchuk offer a few easy strategies that anyone can use to curb plastic use.

Waste reduction goal

The university has set a goal to divert 90 per cent of its waste from landfills and to continue to reduce waste per capita. To achieve this goal, the university has adopted a number of strategies, including source-separation and collection of organics; diverting construction, demolition and renovation waste from landfill; and eliminating polystyrene containers from locations like HUB Mall.