ACCC’s annual Awards of Excellence celebrate extraordinary contributions of individuals to their colleges and highlight the role colleges play in the social, cultural and economic development of the communities they serve.

Vice President Academic Cheryl Jensen received the Silver award for Leadership Excellence. Cheryl was the driving force behind many Mohawk success stories, including the launch of Canada’s first Bachelor of Technology Program in collaboration with McMaster University, the creation of the award-winning Hydro One – College Consortium and the $27 million transformation of Mohawk’s skilled trades campus in Stoney Creek. Cheryl is very active in the community serving on various boards and foundations, and she’s currently working with public, private and non-profit sector partners on a project aimed at promoting postsecondary education to at-risk youth in high-need neighbourhoods. 

Alan Griffiths, Mohawk’s sustainable environment specialist, received the Silver Staff Excellence Award. Alan is responsible for Mohawk’s green initiatives, including taking the lead role in the development of the College’s first comprehensive environmental management plan. The plan commits Mohawk to a 20 per cent reduction of 2007 baseline carbon emissions by 2020, and includes strategies achieve reductions in eight target areas. Alan is also very active in the local sustainability movement, representing Mohawk on city-wide initiatives aimed at improving access to alternative transportation and helping businesses reduce their carbon footprint.

Jef Petrossi is a creative advertising professor in Mohawk's Advertising Advanced Diploma program and this year's recipient of the Bronze ACCC Teaching Excellence Award. An award-winning writer that has worked at some of the world's leading advertising agencies, Jef knows what it takes to be successful and works hard to make his students stand out in an extremely competitive industry. Since joining Mohawk four years ago, Jef's students have won numerous awards at prestigious national and international competitions including the CMA's national awards, the Ad and Design Club of Canada's national awards and Applied Arts Magazine advertising awards show. Some of Jef’s former students have gone to work for North America’s best agencies such as BBDO, Taxi2, Saatchi & Saatchi, Proximity, Ogilvy and Lowe Roche.

ACCC is the national organization that represents colleges and institutes at the national and international level. For more information visit www.accc.ca.

In a first-time partnership with YEP Hamilton (the Young Entrepreneurs & Professionals division of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce), Mohawk welcomed two prominent environmental experts: Lynda Lukasik, Executive Director of Environment Hamilton; and Katie Altoft, VP Advisory Services at Carbonzero.

Held in the new Bert Hares Boardroom last night, the session was attended by members of YEP Hamilton, as well as by David Adames, President and CEO of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. Raising awareness and encouraging conversation about environmental issues by building strategic community connections is a key contributor to the success of the many initiatives led by Mohawk’s Sustainability Office.  

“YEP Hamilton is a group that is very focused on engaging Hamilton’s leaders and pushing the city to its full potential. Collaborating with them is not only a natural fit for the Sustainability Office, it is also a powerful partnership that will really give a boost to fostering environmental awareness among the next generation of entrepreneurs, professionals and leaders in Hamilton,” says Alan Griffiths, Mohawk’s Sustainable Environment Specialist.

Here are a few of the key topics that were discussed throughout the session:

• Hamilton’s environmental history


• Local food and farming


• Sustainable building


• Urban boundary expansion (aerotropolis)


• Incentivizing environmentally-friendly behaviours


• Perspectives on ‘going green’; the dangerous dichotomy of environment vs. economy


• The role of technology and innovation in creating a healthy environment

A major part of YEP’s mandate is to foster growth and encourage creative innovation in Hamilton by acting as a resource for, and raising the profile of young entrepreneurs and professionals. This involves increasing young professional networks, working collaboratively with community partners to offer personal and professional development events, as well as creating and encouraging opportunities for involvement in community initiatives.

In a partnership with the Sustainability Office and the MSA, three fourth semester Environmental Technology students undertook Mohawk's first live waste audit as part of a research project aimed at examining the Composting Program currently in place at the Student Centre.

Zvezdan (Tom) Petrovic, Adom Bouchard, and Chris Chevrier are completing the audit as part of their Environmental Projects class taught by Don Shaw. As part of the class, the students must to act as consultants, taking on a practical research project and developing a thorough report based on their findings.

When the research is complete the students will present the MSA with a comprehensive report analyzing the benefits and overall impact of the existing composting program, and including a set of recommendations for expanding and improving the Composting Program.

“The Sustainability Office is proud to foster these partnerships, which not only create hands-on learning experiences for Mohawk students, but also increase awareness of the many sustainable initiatives on campus,” says  Alan Griffiths, Mohawk’s environmental sustainability specialist.

Visit the Sustainability Office website at www.mohawkcollege.ca/environmental-sustainability to see what else is happening in the Mohawk community.

The Employer of Year Award recognizes organizations for outstanding achievement in the areas of commitment, leadership, innovation and results in the Smart Commute program. 

Among its many accomplishments, Mohawk College has:

• established the fastest-growing Carpool program in Hamilton, doubling the amount of registered carpoolers at the college;


• constructed a new secure bike parking facility for more than 40 bikes;


• established 12 new carpool parking spots;


• organized an annual Residence Active Living Fair with Smart Commute as a central theme; and


• supported a student-led initiative to launch a discounted transit pass program, which is now available to all students at the college for unlimited use of the HSR. 

Mohawk has some of the highest participation rates in Hamilton and is a strong supporter of green commute initiatives such as Clean Air Commute, Bike to Work Day and Smart Commute Week.

Commenting on the award, Mohawk's sustainability initiatives coordinator Alan Griffiths says, “We’re absolutely thrilled and honoured to have been chosen for this award. As an innovative and community oriented College, it's important for us to be a leader in programs like this, and to set an example for others to follow. At Mohawk we work hard to walk-the-talk, and we’re truly thankful for the recognition.” 

Mohawk College is committed to providing sustainable transportation solutions for students and employees, says Alan. The College works closely with Smart Commute Hamilton to promote environmental awareness and to reduce its carbon footprint.  

Run by the City of Hamilton's Public Works department, Smart Commute Hamilton is part of Smart Commute, a program funded and supported by Metrolinx and the municipalities of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. More than 177 employers with a combined total of 430,000 employees participate in the Smart Commute program. Smart Commute Hamilton works with organizations in the City to promote more sustainable modes of commuting and help organizations manage their travel demand effectively.

Mohawk students and staff will soon have a more secure option to store their bicycles on campus.

Starting this fall, a student-led initiative will give cyclists the option to buy a membership to a restricted-access bike shelter located just outside C Wing to the east of the main entrance (south). Similar facilities already exist at several city-owned locations throughout Hamilton.

With room for up to 40 bicycles, the shelter will provide bicycle commuters with a safer way to store their bicycles on campus. Members will receive a key fob that has been specially programmed to access the facility. Once inside the cyclists can either store their bike vertically in one of the hanging racks or on the ground in a traditional bike rack. A simple U-lock will secure both tires and the frame of the bike to the racks. Security cameras will monitor the shelter for added protection.

As an added bonus, members will be given after-hours access to city-owned shelters, some of which are located in the downtown core and at other popular locations such as parks and recreation facilities.

The shelter wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for Mohawk students, says Alan Griffiths, Mohawk's sustainability initiatives coordinator. From the initial research, to the pursuit of funders, Mohawk students have led the process from start to finish. The students were successful in accessing shared funding from the City of Hamilton, Smart Commute Hamilton, and Metrolinx as part of its BikeLinx program.

Stay tuned to the Sustainability Office website for more information, including details on how you can become a member.

“We’re making our best effort to turn off all the lights we can taking into consideration issues around safety and security,” said Alan Griffiths, Mohawk’s sustainability initiatives coordinator. For safety reasons lights in areas such as college parking lots will remain on, he added.

Staff and students are encouraged to take part in Earth Hour. Apps are available for download for Blackberry and Android devices.

You can also check how Hamilton ranks against other Canadian cities in the battle against climate change at wwf.ca. For more information on Mohawk's efforts to reduce its environmental footprint visit the Sustainability Office website.