How does an institution like York University become one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for the sixth consecutive time? By reducing annual electrical consumption by 34,730,786 kWh, saving $5M in utilities every year, and recycling 3,705,780 kg of waste, for starters.
In the 11 years since the Canada’s Greenest Employers competition began, York has landed on the list of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for sustainability initiatives more than half the time.
As a leader in sustainability, the university has embarked on several environmentally friendly initiatives that alter the footprint of campus buildings, such as five green roofs, the use of PV solar panels, the collection of rainwater, a solar powered electric vehicle charging station, and the LEED Gold certified Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence. Three more buildings are also LEED certified.
As a long-time member of Smart Commute, York has successfully reduced the use of single occupant vehicles to campus from 70 per cent to 20 per cent. The ZeroWaste program diverts 68 per cent of waste from landfills, and the university has the largest and first of its kind Faculty of Environmental Studies. In fact, York offers more than 500 courses that relate to environmental and sustainability studies.
Read the York University Sustainability Report.
