Sustainability issue important at York - President Marsden sets up task force

By Cathy Carlyle

Peter Victor, Chair of President's Task Force on Sustainability

For a number of years York has been a leader in the study of the practice of sustainability in society at large. Now, with the establishment of the President's Task Force on Sustainability, York, like numerous other universities, is turning its attention to sustainability on campus.

"Our curriculum alone indicates our commitment to sustainability," said Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Studies Peter Victor, who is Chair of the task force that was struck in December 1999. "While York has a rich curriculum in dealing with the environment, other universities are still setting that as an objective.

"Sustainability, as well as being integral to the Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES), is incorporated into many other areas. We have an interdisciplinary approach. It is taught in the Schulich School of Business programs and in in the Faculty of Education. The Faculty of Science offers an environmental science degree and the Faculty of Law offers specialization in environmental law. In addition we [FES] have a joint master and bachelor of laws degree," he said.

Victor explained that one of the task force's major functions is to ensure that what happens on campus regarding the environment is consistent with the University's master plan and beneficial for York as a whole. The task force will be examining, among many things at the University, pesticide and water use, energy generation and use, hazardous and non-hazardous materials use and handling, land use relating to sustainability, and emissions to air, land and water.

"Staff in the Physical Plant have, for some time, been putting thought and energy into developing a policy on many of the areas to be investigated by the task force," he said, adding that they have implemented numerous energy-saving procedures and increasingly have used environmentally-friendly materials. For example, they have cut down on the use of fertilizers and pesticides; planted more trees; reduced power consumption on campus by retrofitting exterior lighting and laboratory fumehoods; improved air quality with the new fumehoods; upgraded storm water management; reduced harmful gas emissions; and consciously included sustainability principles in new projects, such as the design of the new computer science building.

"We'll also be looking at some broader questions about what we at York are doing to the environment," said Victor. "For instance, we recognize there are a lot of people commuting to the University daily. This affects air quality, adds congestion to the roads and causes stress for the commuters. We want to investigate feasible ways to cope with these matters, such as encouraging the continuation of the subway all the way to York. We are looking at what initiatives have been undertaken by other institutions, and examining what we already have in place."

Students are eager to be involved and many have volunteered, he added. For example, FES graduate students are formulating a consultation plan, a Web site and a computerized Geographic Information Systems-based planning model for the campus. Several members of Faculty have volunteered to carry out projects relevant to the task force. Biology Professor Dawn Bazely is having her class on applied plant ecology do a survey of sustainability plans at universities and other institutions; environmental studies Professor Michael Hough has asked his class on environmental design to respond to an environmental awareness/sustainability quiz focusing on York; and the York Centre for Applied Sustainability is organizing a speaker series on the subject. "As well, some faculty members are interested in working on this as part of their sabbatical," said Victor.

He said consultation is an integral part of the task force's activity. They are setting up mechanisms to involve the York community in the development of the University's sustainability plan. The task force will produce a progress report in April. In December they will make a final report stating priorities and recommendations.

For more information on the task force, please contact Dean Peter Victor at pvictor@yorku.ca.