Academic and student experience
At NSCC, sustainability is embedded in academic innovation, shaping how students learn, engage, and prepare for the future.
Powering the clean energy workforce
This year, NSCC Foundation proudly partnered with Clean Foundation and the Province of Nova Scotia to launch the Growing the Clean Economy Award, a $400,000 investment to provide 80 bursaries of $5,000 each to students in programs related to clean energy. Rolling out in two phases through 2024-2025, the awards support tuition, program expenses, and living costs, helping students focus on preparing for careers in Nova Scotia’s growing clean energy sector.
The program prioritizes equity by giving preference to students who self-identify as Mi’kmaq and Indigenous, Black and African Nova Scotian, racially visible, female, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQ+, and those with financial need, helping to build a more inclusive and diverse green economy for our province.
Introduction to Sustainability: A new learning experience
This year, the Sustainability Team, in collaboration with the Academic Development Team, piloted a new learning module titled Introduction to Sustainability. Designed to strengthen sustainability-related learning outcomes, the module helps students define sustainability, support sustainable initiatives on campus, and integrate sustainability into their future professional practices. Building on the success of the pilot, the module will be expanded with a broader rollout, with the goal of integrating it into all academic programs by the fall of 2026.
Climate change performance technology program
The College introduced a new graduate certificate in Climate Change - Built Environment Performance Technology. This one-year program prepares graduates to assess and manage the energy efficiency of residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, and to advise clients on how to improve performance while contributing to a net zero emissions future.
This program adds to NSCC’s sustainability-related academic offerings, which also include the Natural Resources Environmental Technology program, Environmental Engineering Technology, and others.
Living lab brings sustainability to life at NSCC Sydney Waterfront Campus
This year, NSCC transformed its Sydney Waterfront Campus into a dynamic Green Living Lab through an Interpretive Sustainability Signage project. Led by the College’s Sustainability Team, the project introduced five educational displays that highlight key green building features: geothermal heating and cooling, shoreline remediation, sea level rise, energy-efficient glazing, and sustainable dining practices.
The signage was designed to be both informative and engaging, with digital content on 10 kiosks, scripted sustainability tours, and student-focused activities such as a scavenger hunt. The project aligns with several UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Quality Education (SDG 4), Climate Action (SDG 13), and Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11).
The initiative addressed a key gap: while the campus was built with many sustainability features, these elements were not widely understood or visible to students and employees. By making them accessible and interactive, the project is fostering deeper awareness of sustainable design, especially among trades students who will carry this knowledge into their future careers.
Goals for 2025/26
- Review the College’s learning outcomes to identify opportunities for integrating sustainability-focused concepts that prepare students to understand and address environmental and social challenges.
- Relaunch the UN SDG Open Pedagogy Fellowship program for the 2025/26 academic year, providing faculty with structured support to embed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into their courses.
- Implement the Introduction to Sustainability module as a required course for students by 2026, ensuring all learners gain foundational knowledge of sustainability principles and their application in professional and community contexts.
Recap of 2024/25
- Developed and piloted the Introduction to Sustainability module across the College, providing students with a foundation in sustainability concepts and practices.
- Published the Sustainable Course Guide to support faculty in embedding sustainability and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into course design and delivery.
- Hosted a staff learning workshop focused on integrating the SDGs into the curriculum, building faculty capacity to connect teaching with global sustainability challenges.
Co-curricular
Our commitment to providing a holistic learning experience goes beyond the classroom. Through dynamic co-curricular activities, such as innovative competitions, inspiring workshops, captivating guest speakers, enlightening conferences, and vibrant campus events, we aim to ignite our learners' passion for sustainability and nurture their entrepreneurial aspirations. These exceptional opportunities form an essential part of the NSCC’s student experience.
Throughout the past academic year, our students actively participated in numerous co-curricular activities that complemented their education in sustainable development. Noteworthy initiatives, including Enactus and Challenge NS, provided platforms for students to apply their knowledge and skills in real-world settings, fostering their growth as socially conscious and enterprising individuals.
Enactus at NSCC
Enactus students are problem solvers. They view problems as an opportunity for positive change. Four of NSCC’s Enactus chapters presented their projects at the Enactus Canada National Exposition in Calgary, impressing rooms full of social change leaders across the country.
This year, Entrepreneurship and Enactus Ivany worked side-by-side in NSCC’s Dartmouth Makerspace, leveraging equipment and resources to help support Enactus Ivany’s project, Cap Cycle, enabling an expanded team effort in their initiative to upcycle bottle caps into eco-friendly coasters. Utilizing shared resources and equipment, bottle caps were shredded and turned into filament for coaster production. A project making a positive impact and has diverted and processed 2,300+ units of plastic waste, reducing the environmental burden of single-use plastics. Cap Cycle demonstrates how student innovation translates into both environmental sustainability and community awareness, while inspiring broader action against plastic waste.
All six Enactus chapters/teams at NSCC work with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework and collaboratively in their communities to help solve real social challenges, from addressing challenges such as social isolation, food insecurity, climate action, upcycling and waste reduction, and more. With SDGs as a focus, projects positively impact SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).
NSCC Applied Research
The Applied Research team at NSCC is driving practical, real-world change. Working across six specialized areas, our researchers bring together students, faculty, and industry and community partners to address pressing challenges and deliver impactful solutions. From clean energy and climate resilience to sustainable agriculture and forestry, our teams are helping Nova Scotia transition to a greener, more inclusive future.
Harnessing clean energy data
At Ivany Campus, the Applied Energy Research Lab is helping the province meet its ambitious climate targets. Focused on renewable energy, storage and efficiency, the lab collaborates with partners like ReCover, an initiative focused on developing deep retrofit solutions that prioritize low-income housing and responds to the climate crisis at scale across Atlantic Canada. NSCC students play a vital role by analyzing housing data to design retrofit strategies that will lead to energy savings and measurable reductions in carbon emissions.
Mapping climate resilience
At Annapolis Valley Campus (AVC), the Applied Geomatics Research Group (AGRG) is helping coastal communities prepare for the impacts of climate change. Using advanced remote sensing and GIS, AGRG maps flood risk, erosion and watershed health. A recent collaboration with ClimAtlantic produced flood hazard maps for Atlantic Canada, offering planners and emergency responders the tools they need to protect people, infrastructure and ecosystems from rising seas and storm surges.
Growing sustainable agriculture
Also located at AVC, the Environmental and Agricultural Technologies Lab (EATLab) is supporting climate-resilient agriculture. Through a partnership with the Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia, researchers are developing hardier Balsam fir trees using tissue culture. By cultivating seedlings with stronger needle retention and later flushing dates, the team is enhancing both the durability and visual appeal of trees, ensuring they thrive in changing environmental conditions. By optimizing these methods, the EATLab is helping growers meet demand while ensuring long-term sustainability.
Advancing marine innovation
Located on the Halifax Harbour, SEATAC is helping shape a cleaner future for Nova Scotia’s ocean economy by advancing low-carbon marine innovations. In partnership with local company BlueGrid, SEATAC recently tested a smart energy monitoring system that helps marine operators reduce fuel consumption and emissions to deliver environmental and economic gains. Projects like this move the marine industry closer to its ocean health and climate resilience goals.
Shaping a sustainable future through research
The Applied Research team advances the College’s commitment to sustainability through hands-on research that is collaborative, community-driven and future-focused. While seasoned researchers lead these projects, student involvement through capstone projects, work terms and paid research opportunities is essential. NSCC is not only developing environmental solutions but also building the skilled workforce needed to guide Nova Scotia toward a more sustainable and resilient future.
NSCC International
Through these programs, NSCC engages local, international and immigrant students in many co-curricular activities through which they gain valuable global employability skills.
NSCC has a wide range of externally funded technical assistance projects in partnership with colleges in less developed countries to enhance the quality of vocational training in those countries. NSCC is actively engaged with five projects in Central America, and East Africa, while four projects have been recently completed.
Out of these 9 current and recent projects, six focus specifically on sustainability themes, including a new project focused on the “blue economy” in Kenya, an eco-tourism project in the Caribbean, aquaculture projects in Grenada and Kenya and a blue and green skills related project in Belize. The Empowerment through Skills project in Tanzania is focused on skills development for women and girls and includes solar PV training as one of the training areas. In addition, NSCC is part of the South Africa Skills Training Enhancement Program, working with vocational institutions to build capacity around equity, diversity and inclusion.
NSCC International co-curricular programs for students take many forms, including the International Student Ambassadors (ISA) program and Global Skills Opportunities.
Global Skills Opportunities empower students to step outside the classroom and learn through real-world, international experiences. By studying and working abroad, students develop critical employability skills such as adaptability, problem-solving, cross-cultural communication, and global awareness—qualities that set them apart in today’s workforce.
Over the past year, more than 100 students and 15 employee leaders participated in 12 programs across 10 different countries. Each program offered unique learning experiences, with many highlighting themes of sustainability. One standout example is the Change Makers Project in Vietnam, where women in STEM students and faculty collaborated on a range of sustainability challenges. Through projects like this, participants not only gain technical knowledge but also develop leadership, teamwork, and a deeper understanding of how innovation can drive sustainable development.
Whether at home or abroad, virtual or in-person, these are opportunities for students to gain skills in global citizenship, appreciation for cultural diversity and culture’s contribution to sustainable development.