Committed to environmental sustainability, Trent University equips students with the diverse knowledge they need to take leadership roles in shaping their own learning experiences. Below are just a few examples of how Trent champions sustainable academic programs, research and initiatives on campus:

• Trent University’s Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Resource Science (ERS) is the first to be officially accredited to the National Standard of Environmental Programs in Canada by ECO Canada
• Four years in a row, Trent has received top grades in the Globe and Mail University Report for Environmental Commitment among small universities (Grade A in 2013)
• Two new academic programs have been introduced in two years in Trent’s signature area of Sustainability and the Environment: the M.A. in Sustainability Studies started in 2010 and B.A. / B.Sc. Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems program in 2012
• Trent is the only university in Canada to offer Indigenous Environmental Studies, bringing together principles of both Indigenous knowledge and western science in a unique and collaborative approach to learning
• Trent students are catalysts for change – growing, storing and preparing food right on campus in initiatives like the Seasoned Spoon café and root cellar. Students and alumni recently celebrated ten years of serving up local, organic fare at the Spoon, using produce grown right on campus in the Environmental Resource Science Rooftop Garden, working with a rapidly growing population of students in the new Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems program. Click here to read about the Seasoned Spoon Root Cellar initiative.

Research in the classroom and beyond has local, national, and international impact

From dolphin DNA and goat genomics, protecting habitat and replacing fossil-fuel products, get the latest details on Trent University research and teaching that is having a global impact in Showcase Magazine.

Trent University’s Water Quality Centre is one of the world’s premier facilities for environmental contamination research.

Unique in North America, the Trent Centre for Biomaterials Research (TCBR) is on the cutting edge of research and technology, working to create a more sustainable future. trentu.ca/tcbr

Year-round, day-to-day operations make every day Earth Day at Trent University

Trent lives up to its reputation as a leader in sustainability in the day-to-day operations of all facilities on campus and in the community:

• At water bottle-free convocation ceremonies, graduates take the green pledge of social and environmental sustainability
• Click here to review Trent’s water conservation initiative and to find a map of water filling stations on campus
• The Trent Community Athletic Centre was officially designated with a silver LEED rating, while the Life and Health Sciences building block D was designated with gold in 2012.
• Trent continues to divert tonnes of waste from landfill through composting on campus, has replaced all cleaning supplies to Green Seal or certified EcoLogo, has reduced GHG emissions by 220eCO2 tonnes (2012), and will save between $50,000 and $75,000 in energy costs per year through Bata Library lighting and exterior lighting retrofits

For more examples of how Trent is living up to its reputation as a leader in sustainability and the environment, visit: http://www.trentu.ca/sustainabilityoffice/

Posted on Tuesday, April 23, 2013.