Category: Advancing Sustainable Development Goals

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September 6, 2022

We need biodiversity to improve air quality (SDG 15)

What is needed by all living things, can be touched but not felt, and is everywhere but never seen? You guessed it is, it’s air. Plant and land biodiversity is one of the biggest contributors to good air quality. With around 40% of Canada’s land base covered in forests, we are incredibly lucky, but we also need to ensure we conserve this natural gift. SDG 15 challenges us to do more to protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of our land ecosystems.  

Training more people to work in forest conservation, natural resources, and land management is one way colleges and institutes help improve the air we breathe. 

  •  At Maritime College of Forest Technology, all students are enrolled in the Forest Technology Program, where they learn to use tools and technologies to gather data across forested environments. Students also learn about forestry dynamics, wildlife habitat, management, and other current issues. 
  • At Lethbridge College, students in the Bachelor of Applied Science in Conservation Enforcement take their passion for protecting the land, wildlife, and fisheries resources to the next level. Through classroom theory, lab exercises and outdoor excursions, students develop the skills needed to deal with problem wildlife, investigate violations, enforce resource laws and more. This is also the first program of its kind to be offered in Canada! 
  • Saskatchewan Polytechnic is home to the School of Natural Resources and Built Environment. The school’s nine programs give students applied learning opportunities like lab exercises, simulated investigations, and field experiences to prepare them for careers in environmental protection and technology.  
  • At Yukon University, Northern Environmental and Conservation Sciences (in collaboration with University of Alberta) integrates natural and social sciences to investigate the unique ecosystem and cultural issues of the North. Students learn the structure and function of ecosystems and assess and implement conservation and restoration measures.   
  • At Cégep de Sainte-Foy, the Forest Technology program (Technologie forestière) gives  students concrete training on how to develop forest resources while contributing to the protection and conservation of local ecosystems.  
  • At Fleming College, students in Environmental Land Management (Canadian context) get hands-on experience conducting environmental assessments and impact studies to plan for more sustainable and liveable cities. This certificate is the only post-grad program of its kind in Ontario and is specifically designed to support students transitioning to work in the Canadian context! 
  • At British Columbia Institute of Technology, Forest and Natural Areas Management is a two-year diploma program with a focus on forestry, vegetation management, arboriculture for supporting sustainable community development in both rural and urban environments. 
  • Students in Cégep de St-Félicien’s Forest Resource Management (Aménagement de la ressource forestière) program develop skills in forest resources management, planning, conservation, research, and sustainable use of forests. 

Don’t forget! Tomorrow is the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. Biodiversity is an essential part of that. How can we do more to protect #TheAirWeShare? 

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August 30, 2022

Greening the trades must be a key element of our net-zero strategy.

Did you know that it takes more than 30 different skilled trades and other occupations working on site to build a typical home? The construction sector includes designers, plumbers, electricians, masons, roofers, and a lot of equipment.

The Government of Canada’s new Emissions Reduction Plan includes a $150-million Green Buildings Strategy. As it’s developed, it will set out new policy, programs, incentives, and standards needed to drive a massive retrofit of the existing building stock, and construction to the highest zero-carbon standards.

Whether new construction or retrofitting to improve energy efficiency, making the skilled trades greener must be a key element of our net-zero strategy.

For further reading:

We all have a role to play in energy efficiency.

Did you know that renewable energy sources currently provide about 18% of Canada’s total primary energy supply? Water, wind, and biomass are the most common. In fact, Canada is the world’s second largest producer of hydroelectricity!

There is no future without net-zero.

A report from a Berlin-based think tank ranks Canada’s per-capita carbon emissions among the highest in the world. This is not the record we want to be setting. We need to get serious about reducing emissions, in a big way, now.

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August 22, 2022

Sustainable food ensures a sustainable future (SDG 12)

Did you know that Earth Overshoot Day fell on July 28 this year? That’s the date when humanity has used all the biological resources that Earth can regenerate in a given year. And, it’s getting earlier and earlier each year! At our current rate, we would need about 1.75 planets to provide enough resources to sustain our global consumption habits.  

SDG 12 challenges us to work together to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. Food is a big part of that, including accounting for food that is lost, wasted, or produced unsustainably.   

That’s why the work colleges and institutes do in sustainable food and agricultural innovation is so important! For example:  

  • At Lambton College, the Board of Governors Certificate in Sustainable Food is designed to help students explore the practices, principles, and philosophies involved in local food system development and sustainable farming though applied learning, online networking and community research practices. 
  • At Assiniboine Community College, the Sustainable Food Systems program gives students the opportunity to work closely with instructors, train inside the 3,300 square foot sustainable greenhouse, research different greenhouse models, and explore how to improve food security in their local communities.  
  • Cégep de Victoriaville’s National Institute of Organic Agriculture (Institut national d’agriculture biologique) is the largest organic agriculture training and research centre in Canada! The institute is also home to CETAB+, the Centre for Excellence in Local and Organic Agriculture, and CISA, the Centre for Social Innovation in Agriculture.  
  • Yukon University’s Food Security and Sustainability course gives students an introduction to the complexity of food production with a focus on Northern food systems and sustainability. Students learn about the affects of climate change, the determinants of food security, and explore case studies from Alaska and Circumpolar North on local food production techniques.  
  • At Cégep Heritage College, Food, Justice, and a Healthy Future for All is a hands-on cross-disciplinary course that gives students the opportunity to explore a variety of pathways toward a more sustainable future, including climate-smart agriculture, food justice, planetary health diets, and Indigenous food sovereignty.  
  • Seneca College’s Sustainable Local Food certificate program (delivered online) takes a systems approach to sustainable food and farming. Students explore regional food initiatives across Canada, as well as international best practices, and apply their theoretical learning in practical ways.   
  • Olds College’s brand-new Bachelor of Digital Agriculture Degree (set to launch for fall 2023) is one of three new program launching through the college’s Werklund School of Agriculture Technology. Students will engage in real-world problems and explore digital solutions to transform agriculture for a better world!  
  • At Durham College, programs taught at the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food follow the field-to-fork concept, which is based on the harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, sale and consumption of food to help eliminate waste and support local. The centre features unique learning environments, including Bistro ’67, a full-service, green-certified teaching restaurant and lounge! 
  • College of the North Atlantic’s Agriculture Technician Co-op program exposes students sustainable agriculture with a focus on balancing market demands for farm products with socioeconomic factors like cost of production, taxation, land usage, and potential environmental impacts. 
  • At Great Plains College, the course in Sustainable Plant and Soil Management introduces students to agricultural systems, with a focus on sustainability in a changing environment. This course is offered in partnerships with University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan.  

Sustainable food and agriculture is a big part of ensuring that we live and produce within the earth’s means. That includes reflecting on how we, as individuals, can consume more responsibly, prevent food waste, and support community-oriented farming to help lower humanity’s ecological footprint!

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July 25, 2022

We all have a role to play in energy efficiency (SDG 7)

Did you know that renewable energy sources currently provide about 18% of Canada’s total primary energy supply? Water, wind, and biomass are the most common. In fact, Canada is the world’s second largest producer of hydroelectricity! 

SDG 7 challenges us to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. That means not only reducing our reliance on fossil fuels in favour of renewable energy sources, but also improving energy efficiency and storage systems to make sure that energy doesn’t go to waste and ensuring that everyone has access to reliable electricity. 

Colleges and institutes are leaders in our renewable energy future! They train people to work in the clean and renewable energy sector and support industry to find innovative solutions to energy challenges in their communities. 

We all have a role to play in energy efficiency! By being more aware of our energy usage at home, investing in clean renewable energies, and contributing to innovation in the field, we can improve our health and the environment, drive economic growth and create green jobs, and help to ensure affordable access to clean energy for all.  

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June 27, 2022

Strong and successful small businesses make resilient and sustainable communities (SDGs 8 & 9)

Did you know that small businesses make up more than 98% of employer businesses in Canada and employ more than 10 million individuals? That’s a huge footprint and represents almost two thirds (64%) of the total labour force! Chances are, when you go shopping, dine-out, or visit a local coffee shop, you’re interacting with a small or medium-sized business.  

Strong small businesses ensure resilient and sustainable communities, and SMEs are vital players in our collective sustainability agenda – particularly SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth) and SDG 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure).  

For colleges and institutes, supporting SMEs means equipping students (especially diverse and underrepresented innovators) with skills to launch their own ideas confidently to help make our economy greener and fairer! 

  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Yukon University supports Yukoners starting businesses and developing new products and services with funding, resources, expertise, and incubation from beginning to end.  
  • The university is also a Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub and works to identify additional barriers and challenges faced by women entrepreneurs and provide support to overcome them. 

SMEs are also partners of choice for college and institute applied research and innovation. In fact, the latest data shows that of 8,000 total college and institute applied research partnerships (67% were with SMEs who often do not have the capacity or resources to conduct cutting-edge research on their own)! 

  • Each year, more and more Canadian businesses of all sizes benefit from real solutions to real problems. And each year, more Canadians as a whole benefit from innovation that contributes to the long-term sustainability of Canadian industry. 

June 27 is Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Day! Today (and everyday), be sure to support local MSMEs and think about how your own entrepreneurial skills, ideas and aspirations could help make Canada futureproof. 

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June 13, 2022

Carefully managing our oceans is key to a sustainable future. (SDG 14)

Oceans are one of the world’s greatest resources. Covering more than 70 % of the planet, oceans support the environment and make the Earth habitable for humans. In fact, our rainwater, drinking water, weather, climate, coastlines, much of our food, and even the oxygen in the air we breathe, are all ultimately controlled by our oceans.

Oceans even absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide produced by humans. And did you know that roughly 80% of marine and coastal pollution originates on land, including things like agricultural run-off, pesticides, plastics, and untreated sewage?

June 8 was World Ocean’s Day! What better time to affirm how we need to get serious about marine conservation? In Canada, colleges and institutes are leading ground-breaking research in the marine and coastal sector that helps protect life below water (SDG 14):

Don’t forget to join the SDG Accord! The Accord inspires, celebrates, and advances the critical role of education in delivering on the SDGs. As signatories, we maximize the impact of our efforts, share knowledge, commit to doing more, and hold each other accountable.

Healthy and sustainable oceans (SDG 14) are essential to a healthy planet. The next ten years mark United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Take some time to think about what part you can play in helping to conserve our ocean ecosystems.

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May 30, 2022

Indigenous rights include language rights (SDG 10)

Language is a really important part of Canadian identity, but not just French and English. Did you know that over 70 Indigenous languages are spoken across the country, a key part of the many Indigenous cultures? The census divides those into 12 language families: Algonquian languages, Inuit languages, Athabaskan languages, Siouan languages, Salish languages, Tsimshian languages, Wakashan languages, Iroquoian languages, Michif, Tlingit, Kutenai, and Haida. Each one is vital to cultural preservation!

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report includes five calls to action that relate directly to language and culture and recognize the urgency of revitalizing Indigenous languages as a means of preserving Indigenous cultures. The two go hand in hand.

  • For postsecondary institutions, in addition to programs tailored to the needs of Indigenous learners, that also means language instruction!

Did you know that over 23 Indigenous languages are taught at colleges and institutes across the country? That includes language-specific programs as well as language courses taught as part of programs intended to teach about Indigenous cultures and ways of knowing, truth and reconciliation, and more! For example:

This year marks the start of the UN International Decade for Indigenous Languages, which draws global attention to the critical situation of many Indigenous languages and encourages everyone to take part in preservation, revitalization, and promotion of these languages.

As we start Indigenous History Month and celebrate the history, culture, and diversity of Inuit, Métis and First Nations people across all of Canada, let’s not forget about the richness and diversity of Indigenous languages!

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May 16, 2022

Representation is an essential part of treating everyone with dignity and equality (SDG 10)

Earlier this month, Canada made history by becoming the first country in the world to provide census data on transgender and non-binary people! This type of data is so important not only because it allows all Canadians to see themselves in national statistics, but also because it helps to fill a long-standing information gap on gender diversity. So, what did we learn?

Of the nearly 30.5 million people in Canada aged 15 and older, 100,815 identified as transgender or non-binary. (That amounts to about one in 300). Non-binary and transgender people are younger on average than cisgender people. (Just under 1 in 100 young adults aged 20 to 24 identified as non-binary or transgender). A majority of non-binary individuals in Canada live in an urban setting. (Just over half of non-binary people aged 15 and older reported living in one of Canada’s six largest urban centres).

This census update is a big step in representation on a national scale. At the community level, colleges and institutes are a natural fit for local support, gender-related resources and training, and positive spaces!

May 17 is also the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia & Biphobia, a worldwide celebration of sexual and gender diversities!

  • Did you know May 17 marks the anniversary of the day in 1990 when the World Health Organization took the long overdue step of declassifying ‘homosexuality’ as a mental disorder?
  • Make sure to join us for the next episode of Perspective LIVE! (read below)

Pride is about community, visibility, and celebrating being true to yourself. Representation is an essential part of treating everyone – whether someone identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, Two-Spirit, non-binary or uses other terms to describe who they are – with dignity and equality!

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April 4, 2022

Our planet, our health

At last! Canadians have been waiting for a new plan to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next eight years under the Net-Zero Accountability Act. The official 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan is now here. But what’s in it and what does it mean?

Bold, specific, ambitious, and achievable is how Justin Trudeau described the new plan, which includes $9.1 billion in new investments to cut pollution and grow the economy. That means things like greening homes and buildings, switching to electric vehicles, adopting greener technologies, and empowering communities to take climate action.

So, how can Canada’s colleges and institutes help?

  1. We’re going net-zero on campus! With the largest post-secondary footprint in the country, our collective engagement goes a long way. At more than 670 locations, we pledged to achieved net-zero emissions on campus by 2050.
  • See what we mean: many examples of net-zero and LEED-certified campus facilities, learning environments, and research centres already exist. These buildings are real examples of energy efficiency. They give students the opportunity to learn in real environments and practice using technologies on the leading edge of sustainable design.
  1. Budget 2022 is coming this week (on April 7: Stay tuned for our analysis)! We know there’s a role for colleges and institutes to drive the green transition both in Canada and abroad.
  • At home, we recommended Canada establish a Green Postsecondary Infrastructure Fund with a minimum of $400 million a year over five years dedicated to helping colleges and institutes reduce greenhouse gas emissions on campuses.
  • Abroad, we recommended Canada increase funding to support skills training that equips people in developing countries to work in the green economy and tackle climate change. (For example, programs like Education for Employment).
  • Reminder: “The Next Step Forward”is our submission to pre-budget consultations. We have six recommendations to make Canada future-proof, including this one!
  1. We also have a plan to turn campuses into living labs!

April 7 is World Health Day. 

This year’s theme is “Our planet, our heath” and recognizes the interconnectedness of good health and well-being (SDG 3) and climate action (SDG 13). At CICan, we align everything we do with the Sustainable Development Goals because they help ensure that our actions contribute to positive change for people, communities, and the planet.