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Report: Carleton University Campus

Completed by Jesse Baker

April 2012

1. Summary

Carleton University is mostly made up of young and educated students who, along with the academic faculties, have a high degree of environmental awareness. This knowledge of issues surrounding the environment and sustainability has never resulted in widespread activism, however, nor has it ever led to significant action on campus that was intended to address the environmental issues facing the university and its community.

! Founded in 1942 ! Located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada ! Bordered by the Rideau River, the Rideau Canal (and the Central Experimental Farm),

and the neighbourhoods of Ottawa South and Riverside Park. ! Situated on 61.6 hectares of land supporting more than 368,461 metres of building

space. ! 2010-2011: Operating budget (excluding ancillaries) of $313 million

2. Demographics

2.1 Population Profile

The age distribution of Carleton University is typical of Ontario universities, but generally much younger than that of residential neighbourhoods throughout Ottawa. Its enrolment is lower than that of the University of Ottawa.

! As of 2011-2012, there were a total of 26,773 students enrolled. ! Age profile:

o 2.02% of students are under the age of 18. o 55.8% of students are between the ages of 18 and 21. o 21.0% of students are between the ages of 22 and 24. o 12.7% of students are between the ages of 25 and 30. o 3.48% of students are between the ages of 31 and 35. o 2.02% of students are between the ages of 36 and 40. o 1.09% of students are between the ages of 41 and 45. o 1.97% of students are above the age of 45.

! 2010-2011: Academic staff: 855 (Librarians included) ! 2010-2011: Contract instructors: 622 ! 2010-2011: Management & support staff: 1,073 ! Enrolment during summer 2011: 10,100

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2.2 Language

This is a predominately English-speaking university, with higher levels of bilingualism compared to most Ontario universities but much lower levels than the University of Ottawa.

! In 2011-2012, 77.7% of enrolled students spoke English as their native language, 2.80% spoke French as their native language, and 19.0% spoke another language as their native language.

2.3 Diversity

Carleton University is more diverse than most Ontario universities. Statistics from 2010 show that there was a higher ratio of domestic to international enrolment at Carleton University than at the University of Ottawa. The breakdown of the geographical origin of all students for 2011-2012 is as follows:

! 86.6% of students came from Canada. ! 0.74% of students came from the United States of America. ! 0.69% of students came from Latin or Other America. ! 1.08% of students came from Europe. ! 3.59% of students came from the Middle East. ! 1.66% of students came from Africa. ! 5.25% of students came from Asia.

2.4 Education

As an educational institution, the population of Carleton University on average is more educated than the populations of most residential neighbourhoods in Ottawa. Compared to the University of Ottawa, Carleton University has a lower ratio of graduate to undergraduate students.

! 1,010 Ph.D. students ! 2,468 Master’s students ! 23,214 undergraduate students.

o 16,593 full-time (taking four or more courses) o 6,621 part-time

! The university offers a variety of programs geared towards sustainability and the environment, including Architectural Conservation and Sustainability Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, and Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering.

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2.5 Income/Socio-economic status

The population of Carleton University has a lower than average level of income compared to most residential neighbourhoods in Ottawa (Note: this is not taking into account the money that students receive from well-off parents or the government to finance their tuitions). This is due to the considerable costs of tuition and the amount of time that must be invested in full-time university studies, which takes away from the money that a person could otherwise earn by working full-time.

! In 2010-2011, tuition (including miscellaneous fees) ranged from $6,041.35 to $8,509.35

! 2010-2011 Undergraduate Bursaries and Scholarships: o Over 10,500 new and returning undergraduate students were awarded more than

$15.8 million in scholarships and bursaries. o 2,564 new and returning undergraduate students were awarded $3.23 million in

bursaries, which are indicative of financial need. ! 2010-2011 Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP):

o 33 percent of all full-time undergraduate students applied, 30 percent of all full-time students received OSAP funding.

o Indicative of financial need in covering the costs of post-secondary education.

2.6 Housing

! In January 2012, there was a total of 3,319 students living on campus. ! For 2010-2011, cost of residence room and board ranged from $7,845 – $10,018. ! In 2010-2011, 40.6% of first year students and 14.9% of all undergraduates were living

on campus. ! In January 2012, the residence houses and commons produced 28.95 megatonnes of

general waste, an average of about 8,723 tonnes per resident for that month.

2.7 Transportation

! Beginning in September 2010, all students registered for full-time studies (except during the period of May to August) have automatically had the costs of the Universal Transit Pass (UPass) applied to their tuition. o The campus is accessible by OC Transpo bus route numbers 4 (in both the

“Rideau Centre” and “Hurdman” directions), 7 (St. Laurent) and 111 (Baseline). The university can also be accessed by O-Train in both the “Greenboro” and “Bayview” directions.

! Parking Services offers permit and temporary parking on campus. o In total, approximately 4,200 parking spaces are provided.

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o Of the parking permits sold in 2011-2012, approximately 2,525 (57.5%) were student permits while staff permits accounted for 1,865 sales (or 42.5% of all sales).

! In 2011-2012, 68 permits were sold for Bicycle Compound facilities that can accommodate over 200 bicycles, at the cost of $10 per permit.

! Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) runs a student-led bike share program in which Carleton University students, staff and faculty can borrow bicycles for free.

! There is a trail along Colonel By Drive and the Rideau Canal that staff and students can conveniently use to walk, bike or run to the university. During the winter it is also possible to skate to the university on the Rideau Canal.

! A shuttle service is offered between Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. ! Carleton offers carpool programs to encourage fewer students to drive to campus,

allowing students to register multiple vehicles and share a single permit. ! Carleton is party to an “Eco Campus Commuter” agreement launched by VRTUCAR

that offers a car-sharing service to staff/ faculty or students who are members. A vehicle that can be reserved for use is located right on the campus and members enjoy preferred parking on Carleton campus and at uOttawa and Alongquin College.

3. Civil Society

3.1 Notable Clubs/Associations! The Students and Interested Groups Networking and Liaising around Sustainability

(SIGNALS) is a group that originated from the Innovation, Science, and Environment Stream of Carleton’s School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA) and that brings together students, faculty, alumni and other parties interested in sustainable development issues in Canada and abroad.

! The Carleton University Students for the Environment (CUSE) is a society founded on the enjoyment and appreciation of natural environments that promotes the responsible use of Earth’s resources. In the past it has planned events to spread environmental awareness among students and the public and cooperated with other environmental groups to protect and restore the wilderness.

3.2 Notable Research Groups and Faculty Research

! The Carleton Research Unit on Innovation, Science & Environment (CRUISE) is an environmental policy research initiative, which has brought together researchers interested in sustainable development, energy and environmental policy as these issues have become more prominent. In 2009 it was ranked the number one policy program in sustainable development in Canada by Corporate Knights, a leading magazine for sustainability and corporate responsibility.

! Carleton’s Sustainable Energy Research Centre (CSERC) has also performed sustainable energy research in response to increasing global need for innovative energy

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solutions and responsible energy consumption, and amid concerns over climate change and energy security. o The centre places a strong emphasis on using technology to improve public

policy, combining expertise from the Faculty of Engineering and Design, the School of Public Policy and other units at Carleton.

! Dr. Chris Burn, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s (NSERC) Northern Research Chair, is exploring the impacts of climate change on the permafrost environment of Canada’s arctic.

! Geography and Environmental Studies professor Nancy Doubleday and her research partners are investigating how the changing environment affects Arctic communities, tracking perceptions of these changes in the environment as well as connections to health and well-being.

! Dr. James Meadowcroft, the Canada Research Chair in Governance for Sustainable Development, is researching ways that economic and environmental concerns can be integrated into government policy decisions and how citizens can improve their production and consumption methods to work towards sustainability.

! Public Policy and Administration professor and CRUISE director Glen Toner is exploring the interaction of industrial and environmental policy and the institutionalization of sustainable development practices within government and industry.

3.3 Religious Groups

! There are seven Christian fellowship clubs on campus. ! There are two Muslim student associations on campus. ! There are facilities dedicated to those who practice the Muslim and Christian faiths,

where students can go to pray.

3.4 Buildings on Campus

! In 2010-2011, Carleton Dining Services composted 218,000 kilograms of organics in the main dining areas of the Residence Commons and the food preparation areas of the Unicentre (equivalent to nearly 10% of all waste). It has also partnered with ClearFry to put in place a collection system to pick up used cooking oil on campus and convert it into bio-diesel fuel.

! In May 2009, five large air conditioning units were replaced at Dunton Tower, MacOdrum Library and the Loeb Building, resulting in savings of $28,000 a year in energy costs and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 231 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (equal to the emissions of about 43 cars). An Ozone depleting refrigerant was also replaced by an environmentally friendly alternative.

! The campus’ two newest buildings, the Canal Building and the Rideau Building, received the highest sustainability rating on the Green Globes evaluation system. (For more information on the system, visit http://www.greenglobes.com/).

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o The roof of the River Building is equipped with a 10 kW solar panel, while the building also contains a green wall.

o In the Canal Building, some solar panels have been installed, smart blinds have been equipped to reduce air-conditioning costs, and a green roof has been installed.

! Through a residence program known as Rewire, Carleton University has encouraged residents to sign sustainability pledges challenging them to reduce their monthly energy and water usage.

! Russell and Grenville Residences were retrofitted in 2010 with high efficiency, low-flow fixtures, lowering water consumption by 60% and saving the university more than $20000 a year.

! The university library’s renovation and addition project that is currently underway will incorporate exterior sun shading features and screens that will improve the cost effectiveness of managing the library’s interior temperature control.

4. Political Reality

There is not an organized right-wing party in student politics at the university; instead, student politics at Carleton consist of a centrist party and a more left-wing party. That being said, there is a similar presence of student Liberal and Conservative societies on campus, while those dedicated to the Communist, Marxist, New Democratic and Green Parties exist in less developed states. The Liberal and Conservative societies are predominant because they have strong footholds in the centrist and right-wing bases respectively, meanwhile all of the other aforementioned societies seem to split the left-wing base.

The political leanings of Carleton University students can be inferred based on the variables of age and employment status, which do not vary much across the population and which were found to affect a person’s political leanings (at the 95% confidence level). Using data from the Canadian Election Survey of 2011 which was based on a random sample of Canadians from across the country, it was found that Canadians between the ages of 18 and 35 (which would encompass around 93% of students enrolled at Carleton University) are more likely to vote for the left-wing New Democratic Party than any other party (see Table 1). Using the same dataset, it was found that Canadians who characterize their employment status as “student” are much more likely to vote for the NDP (see Table 2).

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Dr. Conrad Winn, who has been a professor in the Department of Political Science at Carleton University for many years and is knowledgeable on the subject, describes the political leanings of faculty at the university as “ten-to-one on the Left.”

4.1 Board of Governors

The Board of Governors has the final say on all matters pertaining to strategic planning and development of the university and its campus, comprising several planning committees.

! Section I.2 of the Board’s Guidelines: General Duties, Fiduciary Responsibilities and Conflicts of Interest document says that governors must use their best efforts to “be informed about the issues facing the University and Ontario universities in general.”

! The Governance Committee reviews and scrutinizes the governance practices of the university “to ensure that the principles of transparency, accountability, inclusiveness

Table 1: Age Category and Political Party Voted for in 2011.

In what age group do you belong?

Total18 to 35 Over 35Which party did you vote for? Liberal (Grits) 16.7% 20.2% 19.8%

Conservative (Tory, PCs) 33.7% 40.8% 40.0%NDP (New Democrats) 35.9% 29.6% 30.3%Bloc Quebecois (BQ, PQ, Bloc)

8.8% 6.4% 6.6%

Green Party (Greens) 4.9% 3.0% 3.2%Total 306 2393 2699

100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Table 2: Employment Status and Political Party Voted for in 2011.

Employment Status

Totalstudentworking for pay retired

unemployed/looking for

work self

employed disabled Which party did you vote for?

Liberal (Grits)

15.1% 18.2% 23.6% 23.5% 15.6% 11.4% 19.8%

Conservative (Tory, PCs)

13.2% 35.9% 43.9% 25.9% 46.0% 36.3% 39.2%

NDP (New Democrats)

56.6% 34.9% 24.6% 37.6% 26.3% 40.9% 30.8%

Bloc Quebecois (BQ, PQ, Bloc)

11.3% 7.8% 5.8% 4.7% 6.0% 9.1% 6.9%

Green Party (Greens)

3.8% 3.2% 2.1% 8.2% 6.0% 2.2% 3.3%

Total 53 100.0%

1136 100.0%

902 100.0%

85 100.0%

315 100.0%

44 100.0%

2535 100.0

%

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and effectiveness are respected at all levels of University governance, and make recommendations to the appropriate governing body for change when appropriate.”

! The Building Program Committee deals with matters pertaining to the physical infrastructure of Carleton University and changes to the use of its lands. It receives semi-annual reports in October and April about Environmental Health and Safety on campus and proceeds to make recommendations to the Board as it deems appropriate. It oversees the development, review and changes made to the university’s Master Plan.

4.2 Facilities Management and Planning

With around 200 staff, Facilities Management and Planning provides services which include:

“[P]lanning, design, implementation and management of construction and renovation projects; space management; facilities maintenance; preventive maintenance; equipment repair; cleaning services; grounds maintenance and landscaping services; and consultation and support related to environmental and occupational health and safety matters.”

! Having recently performed an in-house audit of 80% of Academic and Administrative space on campus, Facilities Management and Planning found that the overall maintenance condition of these facilities is poor and that a number of campus buildings examined are in need of costly retrofit.

! Current strategic objectives include: o Develop and implement programs to reduce energy consumption by 5%. o Develop environmentally effective energy programs.

! In Spring of 2009, Carleton established a Sustainability Office on campus, headed by environmental educator Murdo Murchison, which has developed a sustainable development plan for the university and which pursues new and on-going environment-related initiatives. Current and past initiatives include: o Special waste depots for old electronics, batteries, print cartridges, etc. o Recycling/ Compost Program tune-up to improve waste diversion rate. o Furniture re-use and recycling pilot program, posting items on listings of online

used sales website and donating them. o Sensor-equipped vending machines that shut down lighting and adjusts the

refrigeration settings when no one is around.

4.3 Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA)

Members of CUSA council are elected by student ballot every February. The council includes a Sustainability Committee, a Clubs and Societies Committee, and a Student Issues Action Committee, to name a few that are most relevant.

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The Clubs and Societies Committee is responsible for approving the certification of clubs and societies. There are certain resources and privileges for student clubs and societies that are certified by CUSA. The Student Issues Action Committee brings students together to discuss issues affecting them and to promote activism. The Sustainability Committee was created to address sustainability issues on campus. In the past it has spearheaded a Carleton University Green Week and the ongoing Bottled Water Free campaign.

5. Interpretation

It is probable that the politics of students at the university tend toward the Left because of the aforementioned factors of age and employment status, among other things. Fringe awareness campaigns and references to sustainability in documents of the university administration and the Carleton University Students’ Association seem to indicate a general awareness of environmental issues among the population.

At the moment, however, this general awareness is not translating into as much activism and engagement as one might expect from a community of young and educated individuals. There seems to be a lack of organization among environmental student groups and little coordination between them and sustainability committees on campus, resulting in an overall lack of exposure to issues related to these topics.

Student leaders such as Rideau River Residence Association president Kaisha Thompson describe the large role that the university administration can and should play in the promotion and pursuit of sustainability. Since the governance of the university is far more monolithic than that of the city of Ottawa or its composite neighbourhoods, the administration is more capable of the sort of top-down work that is desirable in neighbourhoods with strong environmental leadership. Thompson specifically cited work that should be done by the administration, such as setting up a system whereby lights and computers turn off automatically at appropriate times in order to conserve energy.

Several of the administration’s current policies do not seem to be conducive to a long-term vision of sustainability and responsible development. In terms of its land-use policies, it needs to set higher standards for the sustainability of new buildings and major renovation projects (the current standard is a rating of 3 “globes” on the Green Globes evaluation system, equivalent to a 55% threshold) and to give better consideration to the sensitivity of the Rideau River, Rideau Canal and Central Experimental Farm that border the university’s campus. Ecological impact should be an additional factor included in its Purchasing Policy, which currently establishes the cost-effectiveness of goods and services as the sole concern of the administration. The Carleton pension fund should deepen its commitment to responsible investment, weighing more heavily environmental, social and governance factors in its assessment of investment opportunities and increasing transparency relating to its investments. Lastly, reform to the Gift Acceptance Policy is desperately needed so that departments of the university will not engage in accepting

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donations and/or funding from companies which perform acts that are contrary to sustainable and environmentally-responsible practises.

The existence of an overarching, interdisciplinary theme of study focusing on sustainability and the environment signifies a deep level of involvement in environmental discourse among some academic departments and research groups. These highly-trained specialists are phenomenal resources for the Carleton community, but the challenge is getting these experts to turn their attention inwards and to focus on things that can be done on Carleton campus. Since the university is like a miniature city in and of itself, new strategies and technologies that are developed to improve the sustainability of Carleton University could foreseeably be adapted to benefit Ottawa as a whole and other Canadian cities.

6. Environmental Issues of Most Relevance

Environmental issues at Carleton University are similar to those faced by other Canadian universities and most public institutions. High levels of waste production, energy consumption, water use, and inefficient modes of transport plague all of these institutions and are akin to the problems laid out in the “Tragedy of the Commons,” whereby individuals tend to be more wasteful when they do not directly bear the costs associated with their behaviour. The challenge is building the awareness that is necessary for activism and to bring about change in individual behaviour, ultimately.

Currently, there is a lack of compost and recycling stations and facilities throughout the campus, and in the residence and dining areas especially. The availability of these resources, which are fundamental to waste diversion and environmental progress, must be improved upon and the use of them promoted. Furthermore, the water treatment regime on Carleton campus needs to be improved, otherwise water discharged from its increasingly burdened sewer networks will become problematic in the future and further degrade the water quality of the heavily polluted Rideau River.

As alluded to in the previous section, unnecessarily high energy costs and waste arise from computers and lights being left on while they are not immediately in use and are not likely to be used for several hours. A similar problem of wasting energy results from the temperature control capacities of buildings on the campus that do not permit switching from heating to air conditioning and vice-versa in a reasonably short period of time. During spring the heat is often on while it is hot outside, while in fall the air conditioning will be on while it is cold outside,with the net result being that a lot of electricity is wasted. The summer months are also characterized by the enrolment of significantly less students (62 percent fewer were enrolled during summer 2011 compared to fall of 2011) and less overall activity, despite the meeting and temporary residence accommodations that the university provides. There is a clear sense that campus facilities are under-utilized during this season in light of the fact that the university consumes a lot of energy in keeping these facilities air-conditioned (perhaps too much so) and maintained.

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One additional issue that warrants a lengthy discussion is that of inefficient transportation to and from campus. In section 2.7, it was said that around 4,200 parking spaces are available on campus, for which the average over-sell ranges between 30% and 50%. The current level of car use per person is very high, especially among staff who make up around 9% of the population of the university, but consumed 42.5% of parking permits in 2011-2012. This is just one indication that carpooling rates and parking rates are not high enough currently to help foster zero- or low-emissions methods of transport. In addition, this indicates that public transit access is not adequate enough on campus in order to help contribute to a solution to this issue.

7. Action Most Desired

7.1 Awareness Building

Overall, faculty/ staff and students at Carleton University have a high level of awareness of environmental issues. Awareness-building activities should bring together student environmental groups, faculty that work in fields related to sustainability and the environment, CUSA’s Sustainability Committee, and the university’s Sustainability Office, with the end goal being to promote changes that can be made by members of the Carleton community on an individual level. Initiatives most worthy of promotion on campus include recycling, composting and waste diversion, energy conservation and clean energy generation, as well as the use of alternative modes of transport. Research groups that have been involved in research about sustainability on Carleton campus and that have experience collaborating with many partners might be able to provide advice on how to mobilize faculty and students and the kind of projects that might have the most traction on campus. The Sustainability Office is an invaluable resource to this end, as well.

7.2 Demonstration Projects

Environment-related projects partnering student groups with faculty staffs and the Sustainability Office would likely help spur engagement and initiative on campus. Key projects should be able to find success by pressuring the university’s administration to strengthen its commitment to sustainable practices and development through various policy reforms, while challenging CUSA to take a leading role by supporting the student groups involved and helping to raise the profile of these projects. While the end goal of such projects would be long-term, short-term gains and meaningful change can be achieved by mobilizing and motivating students to reduce their levels of consumption and lower their ecological footprints. The biggest challenge would lie in realizing the degree of mobilization and motivation that would be needed among members of the population to create these changes.

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7.3 Political Advocacy

A large proportion of students are politically engaged and have grown up in an era marked by anxieties surrounding climate change and sustainability. Committees and political channels within the university’s administration could be used by engaged students and faculty to facilitate successful political advocacy.

8. Key People Contacted

Kaisha Thompson, President, Rideau River Residence Association Box 1 - 1233 Colonel By Drive Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B7 613-520-5641 President@rrra.ca

Chad McKenzie, Residence Supervisor, Maintenance and Custodial Services 261L Stormont Dundas House - 1233 Colonel By Drive Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B7 613-520-2600 ext. 8400 Chad_mckenzie@carleton.ca

Natalie Allan, Co-ordinator, Residence Programs and Training 261L Stormont Dundas House - 1233 Colonel By Drive Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B7 613-520-2600 ext. 1219 Natalie_allan@carleton.ca

Karen Haarbosch, Manager, Accommodation Services 261D Stormont Dundas House - 1233 Colonel By Drive Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B7 613-520-5612 ext. 8410 Karen_haarbosch@carleton.ca

Theresa Ellwood, Manager, Conference Services 261N Stormont Dundas House - 1233 Colonel By Drive Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B7 613-520-2600 ext. 8623 Theresa_ellwood@carleton.ca

Brian Billings, Operations Manager (Special Constable), Parking Services 203 Robertson Hall - 1125 Colonel By Drive Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6

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613-520-2600 ext. 8534 Brian_billings@carleton.ca

Dr. Tessa Hebb, Director, Carleton Centre for Community Innovation 2125 Dunton Tower - 1125 Colonel By Drive Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6 613-520-2600 ext. 1217 Tessa_hebb@carleton.ca http://www3.carleton.ca/3ci/3ci_files/THebb.htm

Dr. Conrad Winn, Professor, Department of Political Science at Carleton University B676 Loeb Building - 1125 Colonel By Drive Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6 613-520-2600 ext. 1195 Cwinn@connect.carleton.ca

Chantle Beeso, Vice President of Student Issues, CUSA 401 University Centre - 1125 Colonel By Drive Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6 613-520-2600 ext. 1607 Vpsi@cusaonline.com

Murdo Murchison, Sustainability Officer 204 Maintenance Building - 1125 Colonel By Drive Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6 613-520-2600 ext. 1210 Murdo_murchison@carleton.ca

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