Sustainability Resources

Materials shared during the January 24, 2023 Lunch n' Learn: Sustainability in the Academic & Strategic Plan:

Lunch n' Learn presentation (PDF)
STARS credits by OCAD U department
Elements for prioritizing strategic plan goals, OCAD U recent sustainability achievements
OCAD U Sustainability Policy
The 17 Goals (UN Sustainable Development Goals)
 

The concept of sustainability is far-reaching, complex, and changing. Whether you're a student, administrator, or faculty, the resources below can help you to shift 'sustainability' from an idea to a way of thinking and doing.

Read the OCAD U Sustainability Policy (2018) to learn about the values and definitions underpinning sustainability at OCAD U.

Learn about Indigenous Climate Action's work and why Indigenous Peoples' rights and knowledge systems are critical to developing solutions to the climate crisis and achieving climate justice.

Curriculum Resources

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (Contact Victoria Ho at vho@ocadu.ca for info about your account access)
Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education
Science Education Resource Centre
Harvard's Centre for Health and the Global Environment
Sustainability for All
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

Materials and Exhibition Design

Resources at Hand: Sustainable Exhibition Design (Centre for Sustainable Curating, Western University)
DIY Fieldguide to Reducing the Environmental Impact of Art Exhibition   
Sustainability Considerations for Materials and Processes by Prof. Paul Aloisi

Resources for Rethinking
Resources for Rethinking (R4R) is an online database of teaching resources on issues related to the development of an environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable society. R4R is an initiative that was developed by Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF), a Canadian non-profit whose mission is to promote, through education, the knowledge, skills, perspectives, and practices essential to a sustainable future. For information, visit their website.

OCAD U Memberships

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
AASHE is a non-profit organization that empowers higher education faculty, administrators, staff and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation. This resource provides access to guidelines and best practices for integrating sustainability into academics, operations, and engagement. Please contact Victoria Ho at vho@ocadu.ca for more information.

Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD)
AICAD is a non-profit consortium of 42 leading art schools in the US and Canada. It was founded in 1991 by a group of 25 presidents who felt a need for the similarly structured art schools to come together so as to mutually develop their schools and programs. Our mission is to help strengthen the member colleges individually and collectively, and to inform the public about these colleges and the value of studying art and design.

Partnership for Academic Leadership in Sustainability (PALS)
In September 2010, the academic leaders from 33 independent colleges of Art and Design came together to create a new vision for design education that responds to the complex nature of our world. The purpose of the PALS group and summit is to work collectively to build a strategic plan for sharing and leveraging our resources to better integrate sustainability into art and design programs.

Pledges and International Commitments

Ontario Universities Committed to a Greener World Pledge (2009)
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030)
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Persons (2008)