The Sustainability Office

‍

Learn about Bow Valley College's sustainability policies and initiatives that make our campus a better place to learn, study, and work.

‍

We are continuously examining the way we operate to ensure our institution is responding to the most challenging issues of our time.  We are a member of the Canadian Collaboration for Sustainable Procurement and an affiliate member of the Climate Leadership Network through Second Nature.

‍

‍

‍

‍

Sustainability Committee

The Sustainability Committee is a volunteer group of staff, students, and faculty dedicated to promoting environmental stewardship and fostering a green culture at the College. Guided by the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the committee develops environmental plans, tracks progress, organizes events, and advances sustainability knowledge.

Bow Valley College is a member of the Canadian Collaboration for Sustainable Procurement.

Interested in  joining the Sustainability Committee? Email us at sustainability@bowvalleycollege.ca.

‍

Green Building initiatives

• Supporting Pollinators: Bee Campus certified
• Secure bike storage to encourage eco-friendly commuting
• We source 100% of our electricity from renewable sources by purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates.
• Minimizing single-use plastic waste
• South Campus uses district heating which is more efficient than an onsite natural gas boiler.

‍

Sustainable Purchasing

At Bow Valley College, we are committed to integrating environmental and social sustainability into our purchasing decisions to help create a greener future.

Bow Valley College leads a sustainable purchasing program ensuring that every purchase supports a supply chain promoting positive environmental, social, and economic well-being.

In 2018, we launched a multi-year initiative to integrate sustainability into our purchasing decisions. Our environmental and social sustainability expectations are outlined in our Purchasing Policy and Supplier Code of Conduct. All competitive bids must be reviewed and scored by the Sustainability Office, with a minimum weighted sustainability score of 10%. This score will increase for products or services with greater social and environmental considerations.

Environmental Sustainability

• Apply a lifecycle approach to products and services, considering impacts from extraction, manufacturing, development, transportation, and disposal.
• Prioritize water conservation, energy efficiency, and responsible waste diversion and reduction in business practices.
• Implement initiatives to reduce, offset, and track greenhouse gas emissions from operations.
• Give preference to products with third-party certifications for environmental and social sustainability (e.g., B-Corp Certification, EcoLogo, Energy Star).

Social Sustainability

• Engage in fair labour practices by adhering to International Labour Organization (ILO) standards, eliminating forced or child labour in business operations and supply chains.
• Implement policies and initiatives to hire a diverse workforce, with a focus on underrepresented groups in the sector.
• Contribute to diversifying the supply chain by supporting Indigenous-owned, women-owned, or minority-owned businesses.
• Pay a living wage to all employees (e.g., $23.70 in Calgary in 2023; Enough for All)

Fair Trade

Fair Trade certification ensures products are grown and produced under fair working conditions, with farmers and producers receiving a fair wage.

Bow Valley College received the 2019 Fairtrade Canada Community Builder Award, recognizing our efforts to foster partnerships and support the broader Fair Trade community.

A special thank you to our students, staff, and faculty who have supported Fair Trade at Bow Valley College, and to Sodexo and Fair Trade Calgary for their invaluable contributions.

Resources

Bow Valley College is an active member of the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) and Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

If you’re a Bow Valley College employee interested in learning more about sustainable purchasing, you can access SLPC and AASHE  resources using your Bow Valley College email address.

‍

Choose to reuse

Join the Choose to Reuse program and help reduce campus waste by reusing items instead of discarding them.

Our Choose to Reuse programs aims to reduce the amount of food waste and disposable coffee cups and containers used on and off campus.

Our food services provider, Sodexo, has partnered with Too Good to Go to offer students lower-cost meals every Friday morning. These meals can be ordered through the app and picked up before 2 p.m. the same day.

For more information, contact Sodexo or SABVC.  

Feel free to bring your own reusable container to the Market. If you forget, you can borrow a plate from Sodexo and return it after your meal.

When buying a hot beverage, you’ll be charged 10 cents for a disposable cup. Bring your own reusable mug or borrow one from the Market to get a discount on your drink.

For more information, reach out to sustainability@bowvalleycollege.ca.

‍

Waste Diversion

Discover how we’re working to reduce waste and our strategy for waste diversion across campus. Let’s all do our part to make a sustainable impact!

Bow Valley College follows a comprehensive waste diversion strategy that aligns with the City of Calgary's recycling and composting bylaws. In recognition of our efforts, such as recycling items like batteries, pens, plastic gloves, and IV bags, we were honoured with a 2018 Campus Sustainability Award from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Explore our ongoing initiatives and programs below.

For more details on proper waste disposal at home and on campus, visit the City of Calgary's What Goes Where? database or email sustainability@bowvalleycollege.ca.

Conventional Waste

Organics

Organic waste in landfills produces methane, contributing to environmental pollution. Composting helps reduce this by turning organic material into nutrient-rich soil, returning valuable nutrients to the earth.

Use the green organics bins on campus to compost:

• Leftover food
• Fruit and vegetable peels, pits and cores
• Meat, fish and dairy
• Used napkins, paper towel and tissues
• Wooden stir sticks and chopsticks
• Paper straws
• Compostable cups, takeout containers and cutlery
• Cardboard plates and clamshells
• Small paper scraps (e.g. straw, sugar, salt wrappers)

Refundable bottles & cans

In Alberta, beverage and food containers include a deposit in their sale price, which is refunded when returned to a bottle depot.

Use the grey bottles and cans bins around campus to collect:

• Soda bottles and cans
• Juice boxes and bottles
• Water bottles
• Milk cartons and bottles
• Tetrapacks

Mixed Recycling

It’s more energy-efficient to make products from recycled materials rather than from new materials.

Use the mixed recycling bins around campus to dispose of:

• Cardboard (e.g. drink sleeve, food box)
• Glass (e.g. jars and bottles)
• Hard Plastic with # 1-7, except Styrofoam (e.g. plastic salad container, plastic to-go cup, yogurt container)
• Metal (e.g. aluminum cans, foil)
• Paper (e.g. bags, wrappers, flyers, newspaper)Soft, stretchy plastic (e.g. cling wrap, plastic bag, Ziploc bag).

Landfill

Sending waste to the landfill takes up valuable space and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Let’s keep as much waste out of landfills as possible!

Items that should go in the black landfill bins include:

• Condiment packages
• Granola bar, chip and candy wrappers
• Hard plastic without a number (e.g. straws)
• Styrofoam

Unconventional Waste

Bow Valley College has implemented several recycling programs to reduce waste and promote sustainability on campus:

Battery & Pen Recycling

Dead or unusable batteries, and pens (including markers, sharpies, and highlighters) can be dropped off at the Students' Association (S2034) or the Library & Learning Commons (North Campus, 2nd Floor). This program helps keep harmful chemicals out of landfills, preventing contamination of groundwater.

Fabric Recycling

Bow Valley College has partnered with the Calgary Drop-in Centre to collect fabric scraps and clothing from campus activities, supporting their reuse and recycling efforts.

Masks, Vinyl gloves & IV bags recycling

We have partnered with Vitacore to recycle nitrile and vinyl gloves, disposable face masks, IV bags and other medical PPE used in our nursing and science labs.

Green Building

Learn more about our green-building initiatives.

South Campus is a LEED Silver building and North Campus is LEED Certified. LEED standards rate a building's environmental impact and performance. Our  buildings use a lot of natural light and have water and electricity saving features. This makes our campuses a healthier place to work and study.

Check out some of our green-building initiatives:

• Plants found in our rooftop gardens are local prairie plants that don't need a lot of water and support pollinators like wild bees and butterflies. We are Bee Campus certified through Bee City Canada.
• South Campus uses district heating which is more efficient than an onsite natural gas boiler. We purchase carbon neutral heat from the district energy provider and were the first building in Calgary to negotiate an agreement of this type.
• We have secure bike storage available to all employees and students.  
• We use 100% renewable electricity through the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates.
• Access our electric vehicle chargers from Level 1 of the South Campus parkade. While payment is required to access the parkade, the chargers can be used for free for up to 4 hours at a time. Please note, you will need the ChargePoint app or FLO mobile app to activate the chargers.