Mohawk College receives STARS Gold rating for second year

Mohawk College has been recognized as a gold-rated institution for the second consecutive year in the international 2020 Sustainable Campus Index, achieving the second-top ranking in its category internationally.

A publication from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), the Sustainable Campus Index recognizes top-performing sustainable colleges and universities overall and in 17 impact areas, as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). 

“Mohawk College is proud to be a leader in environmental sustainability in our community and across Canada,” says Mohawk College President Ron McKerlie. “Maintaining our STARS Gold rating affirms that climate action is engrained in our college culture. By teaching our students and operating our facilities in an increasingly sustainable way, we are encouraging our students to be sustainability leaders and we are demonstrating that environmental stewardship is possible on a larger scale.”

In particular, Mohawk achieved top-10 performer status among institutions of all sizes in the Food & Dining subcategory in STARS.

"Congratulations to Mohawk College for its incredible work in creating a more sustainable world," said AASHE's Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. "Through the leadership and action of change agents within the college, I'm encouraged and hopeful that a just and equitable society will soon be realized."

Mohawk College was the first college in Ontario to introduce a comprehensive environmental management plan to address key areas of college operations including transportation, waste management and food. The college’s sustainability team manages over 30 programs and initiatives each year that are dedicated to embedding sustainable practices into operations and programming across all three of Mohawk’s campuses and providing learning opportunities in sustainability for Mohawk students. As well, the opening of The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation in September 2018 introduced students to one of the largest zero-carbon institutional buildings in Canada, meaning there are no net greenhouse gas emissions associated with the building’s operations.

Mohawk College’s STARS report is publicly available on the STARS website:
https://reports.aashe.org/institutions/mohawk-college-on/report/2019-01-22/