CURRENT PRACTICES
Facilities initiatives and practices
Purchasing clean, renewable electricity from Bullfrog Power™ for the Student Centre (51 McCaul St.), effectively reducing the Student Centre’s one-year emissions footprint by approximately 24.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide (the primary gas that causes climate change), 71.6 kilograms of sulphur dioxide (major contributor to smog) and 30.9 kilograms of nitrogen oxides (major contributor to smog).
The campus-wide use of natural, environmentally friendly cleaning products by janitorial staff.
A rigorous campus-wide recycling program that includes recycling used hand towels, broken furniture and scrap studio materials, such as metal and plastics.
Pilot-testing of water-efficient plumbing fixtures, including waterless urinals which can reduce up to 150,000 litres of water per unit, annually.
Use of high-efficiency lighting and motion sensor–activated lighting throughout the campus.
Discouragement of bottled water at campus events, and a mandate to install drinking fountains as part of campus renovation projects.
Installation of water bottle fill station located near 190, 100 McCaul St.
On going recycling program for dry-cell batteries located near 240, 100 McCaul St.
On going recycling program for printer cartridges and cell phones located near 240, 100 McCaul St. and the Service Bureaus on levels 2 and 6 at 100 McCaul St.
IT sustainability initiatives and practises
Automated nightly shutdown and efficient power-management for all academic computers.
Default double-sided print settings for all campus copiers and printers, and pilot-testing of environmentally friendly solid-ink toner cartridges.
Implementation of a digital pay statement system for OCAD employees, instead of paper.
Implementation of virtualization, server consolidation, energy-efficient hard drives and shared power supplies in OCAD’s data centre.
Studio initiatives
The implementation of a new vegetable/coconut oil-based solvent called Etisol, to replace the use of toxic solvents in all OCAD studios.
The testing of BIO-CIRCLE, a self-contained unit used to clean oils with microbes, in OCAD U’s Metal and Drawing & Painting studios.
A silver recovery program implemented in the Photography Centre where waste chemicals are pumped through a metallic replacement cartridge, which removes the silver and replaces it with iron, an environmentally safer agent.
Old rubber moulds from Foundry & Mouldmaking Studios are cut into pieces and reused for packing material.
Student initiatives
Campus Cupboard
A student-run, not-for-profit bulk food store that provides minimally packaged, minimally processed, affordable, wholesome and organic food to OCAD U students, faculty and staff.
Food Share
The Good Food Box runs like a large buying club with centralized buying and coordination. Twice a month, OCAD U students, faculty and staff can place orders for boxes with the volunteer coordinator at the Student Centre and receive a box brimming with fresh, tasty produce.