Issue link: http://digital.corporatepress.com/i/956583
22 MARCH/APRIL 2018 FACILITIES MANAGER MCGILL UNIVERSITY Montreal, Québec Submitted by Shona Watt, Sustainability Officer MCGILL LAUNCHES SUSTAINABLE WORKPLACE PROGRAM McGill University has launched the Sustainable Workplace Cer- tification Program to challenge staff and students throughout the University to foster healthier, more environmentally-friendly, and connected workplaces through individual and collective practices. After gathering feedback from students and staff throughout the university with expertise in areas such as accessibility, energy management, procurement, mental health and equity, a frame- work was created to evaluate and improve their workplace's sustainability performance. e certification uses teamwork to achieve four increasingly rigorous levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Each level includes approximately 15 actions and one bonus initiative. e program incorporates a range of beneficial actions, from reducing air travel and disposable cups to encouraging employees to take a lunch break. 75% of the designated team must commit to doing all points to get certifica- tion. An office determines the scope of the team, identifies key stakeholders, and decides on a vision and goals that will help achieve the desired level. e Sustainable Workplace Certification Program is one of many priority actions listed under the recently released Vision 2020 Climate & Sustainability Action Plan, which outlines Mc- Gill's plan to mitigate its greenhouse gas emissions and boost its sustainability from 2017 to 2020. MOUNT ROYAL UNIVERSITY Calgary, Alberta Submitted by Priscilla Rajan, Space and Communications Specialist MOUNT ROYAL UNIVERSITY REDUCES CARBON FOOTPRINT e Mount Royal University main campus building is an ap- proximately 2,957,807 sq.ft. campus on 48 hectares of land. e University Strategic Plan outlines the commitment to reduce the University's carbon footprint. e Facilities Management depart- ment is responsible for the efficiency of operational sustainability and savings on campus. Grant Sommerfeld, associate vice-president of facilities manage- ment, has overseen the move at Mount Royal University to cutting- edge technology that will reduce the university's environmental footprint while also saving money that can then be invested back into the University. He believes Mount Royal will become a leader in sustainability amongst postsecondary institutions. Mount Royal is currently integrating a combined heat and power (CHP) unit within the base building electrical and heating distributions. Executing this project is Owen Zarazun, the direc- tor of facilities operations. "is installation demonstrates our commitment to sustainability and our ongoing quest to reduce our power consumption," he says. "Saving energy saves money, and our electricity provider has estimated the CHP will reduce greenhouse gas reductions by 1,800 tonnes per year. Within seven years, we'll see a payback." Zarazun says the combined heat and power unit is one of many projects that achieves energy savings on campus in an overall sustainability campaign that also encour- ages students, staff, and faculty to adopt more sustainable prac- tices. Next up - piloting a 400 kilowatt solar power install!