Community and culture
NSCC cultivates a deeply rooted culture of sustainability that reaches beyond the classroom, offering community-oriented, hands-on experiences to foster the development of engaged citizens.
On our campuses
In this year's student sustainability survey, an impressive 91% of students expressed their willingness to participate in campus sustainability activities. Among these students, 37% showed interest in socially focused events, 30% in environmentally focused events, and 24% in economically focused sustainability events.
NSCC is committed to fostering student engagement in sustainability and tailoring opportunities based on the interests of students and staff. Throughout the year, the College provided a wide range of experiences to cultivate valuable learning opportunities and develop essential employability skills. These experiences not only contribute to a sense of community on campus but also support the ongoing social progress of our community and expedite solutions for critical issues facing Nova Scotia.
Over the past year, NSCC spearheaded the SDG Spotlight Campaign, a monthly initiative featuring educational sessions and engaging campus activities centred around one of the Sustainable Development Goals. The College also partnered with other higher education institutions to launch Canada’s first-ever SDG Week for higher education institutions, issuing a college-wide sustainability challenge, among other events.
The College also made various support materials available to campuses and student groups to support awareness of the SDGs on campus, including SDG posters, bulletin board features, banners and mugs.
Goals for 2023/24
- Strengthen our commitment to advancing the SDGs on our campuses by allocating $20,000 to the SDG Project Fund.
- Ensure sustainability integration by implementing a mandatory sustainability module in staff and student onboarding by 2026.
- Enhance student engagement in sustainability on campus by consistently providing new and diverse opportunities for involvement.
Recap of 2022/23
- NSCC participated as a key partner in Canada's inaugural SDG Week, demonstrating our commitment to driving sustainable development.
- NSCC actively collaborated with Engage Nova Scotia to facilitate 10 impactful community conversations on the SDGs throughout the province.
- The College proudly hosted Together|Ensemble: Halifax, a notable national conference dedicated to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
HRM's Mayor Mike Savage speaks at NSCC's Together|Ensemble Conference.
Together | Ensemble conference
NSCC welcomed nearly 100 local sustainability champions to Akerley Campus for Together | Ensemble: Halifax – a national conference that tracks progress on the United Nations SDGs. The conference helped boost momentum and allowed local sustainability champions to collaborate and build partnerships. Participants unanimously confirmed that the SDGs remain a critical tool in setting shared goals with others. Collaboration – particularly between cross-sector partners – was stressed as key to implementing and increasing the pace of realizing these 17 goals by 2030 – in Nova Scotia and across the country.
The SDG Poster Campaign launched this year, publishing SDG posters on a monthly basis for each of the goals. Posters were specifically designed to quickly educate readers on the goals by presenting locally relevant information about each goal and how NSCC is working towards it. Posters were shared with campuses to be posted on the sustainability bulletin boards on a weekly basis for seventeen weeks.
This year, NSCC launched the SDG Project Fund. It is the first time that funding has been made available to specifically fund projects related to the Sustainable Development Goals. This fund allocated $15,000 toward facilities-based projects that will advance the Sustainable Development Goals on campus. Any staff member is welcome to apply for the fund with a project idea. In its first iteration from 2021/2022, the fund supported eleven projects.
SDG Project Fund highlights
Marconi Campus staff convened a Ukulele Club to build connections and support well-being of students and staff. Music therapy is an evidence-based way to decrease isolation, depression and anxiety, improve mood, and boost creativity and self-esteem. The SDG Project Fund supported the purchase of 10 ukuleles, allowing the club to welcome more member
Take-a-Mug programs at our campuses are an effective and easy way to reduce the use of single-use coffee cups. The cups which stay at the cafeteria are offered to staff and students without a reusable mug, all they have to do is bring it back when they are finished! The central office used the SDG Project Fund to restock Take-a-Mug programs across the province.
NSCC’s Institute of Technology Campus manages a honeybee apiary on campus with the support of volunteers. The group bottled and sold 57 jars of honey this year. Revenue from the project goes toward funding the Food for Thought program, a student food security project. The funds are used to purchase ingredients to make soup once per week and distribute it to students in need.
In our community
NSCC’s mission is to improve Nova Scotia’s economy and quality of life. One of the ways that NSCC commits to this is by getting involved in our communities and supporting our students and alumni to do the same. NSCC staff and students regularly participate in giving back to our communities through community clean-ups, paid volunteer days and supporting local organizations.
NSCC and Engage Nova Scotia have been long-term advocates for quality of life in Nova Scotia. This year, the College joined forces with the community organization to support Engage Nova Scotia’s SDG Roadshow. This series intended to convene community conversation on the project and progress linked to the SDG and quality of life. The series consisted of 10 stops across the province; each session featured a panel with local community champions for sustainability and quality of life.
Engage Nova Scotia staff conduct a community engagement session at NSCC's Strait Area Campus on January 25th, 2023.