Our sustainable future
At Nova Scotia Community College everything we do is to build Nova Scotia’s economy and quality of life through education and innovation.
Charting a Sustainable Future
The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS), developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), offers a transparent framework for colleges and universities to evaluate their sustainability performance. Through the collection and documentation of information about their sustainability initiatives, institutions participate in this rigorous process, ultimately earning public recognition. STARS assesses sustainability across various categories linked to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), providing institutions with insights into their global impact. NSCC has recently achieved STARS Gold recertification, reflecting our ongoing commitment to sustainability.
Sustainability demands continual improvement, which is why NSCC is striving for STARS Platinum in 2026. To accomplish this ambitious goal, our Sustainability team is in the final stage of creating a Sustainability Plan that will act as a roadmap to this achievement.
Achieving STARS Platinum will require the active participation of all college departments, with major changes needed in the College procurement process, investment portfolio, and campus engagement.
Goal for 2023/24
- Leverage NSCC’s environmental sustainability leadership to serve as a catalyst for the integration of climate change in programming and learning, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our communities.
To achieve this goal, NSCC will
- Implement NSCC's climate change action plan which outlines how we will address climate change within our organization.
- Integrate the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals into all aspects of our institution.
- Prepare Nova Scotians for climate change-related careers and associated sector disruption and help communities respond.
Sustainable Development at NSCC
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals icons
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 goals developed by the United Nations in 2015 as a blueprint to achieve a more sustainable future for everyone. The Goals were proposed as the main objective of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to tackle some of the world’s most complex and pressing issues such as poverty, gender equality and climate change. The Goals have had a substantial global impact, with 193 UN member states adopting the Agenda.
NSCC has made our own commitment to the Goals. In January of 2021, NSCC became one of the first institutions in Canada to sign the SDG Accord. Which represents the College’s commitment to do more to deliver the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. As one of the first Canadian institutions to sign the Accord, NSCC will lead other institutions as a positive example of innovation and partnerships.
Our student community has also embraced our institution’s commitments. In 2022, the International Student Ambassadors signed the SDG Accord, and this year, our Student Association also joined in this commitment.
Through our unwavering dedication to the SDGs, NSCC plays an instrumental role in shaping a better future. By embracing innovation, fostering partnerships, and leveraging our collective knowledge and resources, we actively contribute to the global effort to achieve the SDGs.
NSCC's Sustainability Team is developing a Sustainability Plan that will guide the College's continual implementation of the SDGs.
Student leaders commit to a more sustainable future.
This year during Canada’s first SDG Week student leaders from NSCC’s Student Associations came together to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability by signing the SDG Accord. Nathaniel Swider, Student Association President at IT Campus, was one of the students to sign the Accord. "In a time where food and housing inequality has become commonplace, there is no nobler goal than that of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals,” says Nathaniel. “By pledging ourselves to the Accord, to follow them as a campus student body, we take the first step towards conquering these inequalities. Together, we are building a better, richer, more equitable society for all."
Student Association Presidents Kremena Kafedjieva, Maria Ibanez and Nathaniel Swider signed the SDG Accord, accompanied by NSCC President Don Bureaux (left).