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Campus initiatives

Learn about the many sustainability initiatives hosted on the Dal campus and find out how to get involved.

At Dal, sustainability isn’t just taught in the classroom. It’s incorporated into how we operate as a university and as a community to become collectively dedicated to fighting climate change. In the last decade, HÂþ»­ has invested $98 million in energy, water and waste reduction measures.

Changes are tracked via metering and data collection and is benchmarked through several international ranking systems including:

STARS ranking Times Higher Education Impact Ranking
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HÂþ»­ the Office of Sustainability

HÂþ»­ University has been involved in promoting sustainability in its operations and curriculum for over 30 years. However, global and local sustainability challenges such as energy security and efficiency remain, and these challenges are compounding.

The HÂþ»­ Office of Sustainability works to incorporate sustainability concepts and criteria into policy and planning, building and retrofit projects, and operations. The Office strives to engage and encourage student, staff, and faculty in practicing sustainable behaviour. Key functions of the office include policy and planning, communication and learning, and project development and management.

The mission of the HÂþ»­ Office of Sustainability is to create campus solutions that support positive ecological, social health, and economic outcomes. We will focus on individual and organizational change and physical system upgrades. 

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Key goals include

  • enhancing values, knowledge, skills, and social norms that support sustainability;
  • encouraging and supporting organizational behaviours and physical systems that enhance sustainability;
  • decreasing natural resource use (energy, water, products), waste, toxins and air emissions;
  • increasing use of renewable energy;
  • enhancing health and social attributes of the campus ecosystem;
  • increasing sustainable transportation;
  • drawing people to HÂþ»­ as a result of sustainability activity.

Operational sustainability plans and initiatives

Our vision is to establish the Dal community as a leader in sustainability in operations as we create positive social, health, ecological, and economic change on our campuses.

Discover how sustainability is built into how Dal operates
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Get involved

There are many ways to get involved in sustainability efforts as a student or employee. Whether it’s by joining a group or society, carpooling with a co-worker, or getting bike safety training from the Dal Bike Centre, you’ll always find a way to make a difference.

Find something that fits
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Sustainability partners and publications

Sustainability requires involvement from the global community. Dal works closely with a network of organizations and has created many resources to increase engagement in its ongoing efforts to implement sustainability practices on campus.

Learn more about Dal's sustainability goals and how we're working to reach them
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Contact the Office of Sustainability

We’re always happy to hear from you! Whether you have a question, a concern, or just want to know more about sustainability on campus, don’t hesitate to reach out to a member of our team.

Connect with us
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