Sustainability Day at McMaster

McMaster will celebrate this year's Sustainability Day with the signing of a climate action plan.

Today marks the third consecutive year McMaster has held its campus-wide Sustainability Day and this year President Patrick Deane will sign the Talloires Declaration, a ten-point action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities. The agreement has been signed by more than 350 university presidents and chancellors in over 40 countries.

McMaster has also signed the University and College Presidents' Climate Change Statement of Action for Canada, which commits the University to detailed sustainability goals and benchmarks.

“Universities are looked to as leaders in many fields, and environmental sustainability is one of them,” said Deane. “McMaster is proud to do its part by implementing sustainable solutions on campus and by encouraging the consideration of the environment in all aspects of scholarly study.”

Sustainability Day will feature a number of events on campus throughout the day. Running from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., vendors will be set up in the Student Centre's Donaldson Family Marketplace, showing off sustainable technologies and practices. Fair trade coffee will be available free of charge for those who bring their own reusable mug, as will locally-grown apples.

For those who have outdated IT equipment, three collection sites will be open to staff and faculty for the exchange of items such as printers, computers and copiers: the grassy mall across from University Hall (8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.), the Ewart Angus Centre (8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and the Downtown Centre's underground parking area (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.). All leftover equipment will be taken at the end of the day to be fully recycled.

McMaster has implemented a number of initiatives aimed at making the University a more sustainable place, including recently switching its financial reporting to an electronic system, saving paper and reducing carbon emissions. Last month, the Engineering Technology Building, itself built to LEED Gold standard, began utilizing rainwater harvesting for its potable water requirements.