Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 63.24
Liaison Victoria Ho
Submission Date Feb. 8, 2024

STARS v2.2

OCAD University
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.50 / 2.00 Victoria Ho
Advisor, Strategic Sustainability
Office of Diversity, Equity & Sustainability Initiatives
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Student groups 

Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Yes

Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
OCAD Reuse is a collaborative initiative established by OCADU staff and students, brought together with the common mission to reduce waste on campus by integrating circular design processes through material reuse. We believe in heightening the awareness of and advocating for reuse in art and design. Through our work, we hope to see sustainable reuse become a pillar in support of educating future artists, designers, and creative thinkers.

Gardens and farms 

Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
The OCAD U Pollinator Garden supports students to learn about native pollinator habitats and landscaping methods that support a variety of sustainability factors such as drought tolerance, floor tolerance, avoiding chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and supporting bio-based soil amendments.

Student-run enterprises 

Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
No

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
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Sustainable investment and finance 

Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
No

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
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Events 

Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:
OCAD U runs speaker series events regularly throughout the year, roughly monthly that support sustainability in art & design. Students are both audience and guest speakers. For example:


March 21, 2023
Spring Solstice Repair Cafe - Bring in your textiles, jewellery, and small objects in need of repair! FREE

March 11-19, 2023
Sustainable Mascamp with Prof Michael Lee Poy and OCAD U students - Drop-in workshops

Nov 28, 2022
Block Printing Workshop with Ani Saha - Bring a piece of cloth or paper!

Oct 27. 2022
Sustainable Futures Curriculum Series: Responsibility as a Design Process - Circular Economy and Other Alumni Stories


Oct 20. 2022
Sustainable Futures Curriculum Series: Design for Good: Teaching and Applying Sustainability in Packaging Design 2 with Prof Stuart Werle and alumni


Oct 6. 2022
Sustainable Futures Curriculum Series: Indigenous Learning Outcomes and Graphic Design with Prof Sadie Red Wing


Oct 5. 2022
Sustainability: Communities of Practice (Monthly drop-in)


Sept 26. 2022
Sustainable Futures Curriculum Series: Applying the Indigenous Design Charter to your Teaching and Practice with Dr. Brian Martin and Prof Howard Munroe


Sept 19. 2022
Sustainable Futures Curriculum Series: Collaborating with the Land - Amaranth Dye Workshop with Prof Julia Rose Sutherland

Cultural arts 

Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:
1. Sustainable Mascamp Procession and Performance: Open to the Public
Friday March 24, starting at 5PM at 100 McCaul St., Lobby.

Come experience Faculty of Design Professor Michael Lee Poy and his student-focused learning journey that centers experiential learning tools for creative carbon footprint reduction to combat climate change through art and design practice. The sustainability (opening/vernissage/activation/kambule) will be initiated by Raging Asian Womxn Taiko Drummers (RAW) an all-womxn Taiko drumming group based in Toronto that uses their creative expression as resistance for social change, carving space for self-expression, education and community building. The procession will amplify the importance of sustainability and climate change through creative use of existing waste. A mixture of traditional Carnival fabrication and exhibition techniques will be used to activate the procession: silk banners and flags; Moko Jumbie (stilt dancer); wire bending; bone/rib construction; bonding agents; mechanical connections, avatar/hero creation; sound scaping; call and response; scale/gesture/movement.   

2. "To Use or Not Reuse", a student-curated exhibition featuring student artwork critiquing the disposability of materials used in today's art practices. The opening reception will take place on Tuesday February 7th from 6pm to 8pm in the 100 McCaul lobby. Light refreshments will be provided. Bring your own drinking container!
What: Opening reception of “To Use or Not Reuse” student exhibition
Where: 100 McCaul St, lobby
When: Tuesday February 7, 2023, 6pm-8pm

Wilderness and outdoors programs 

Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
No

A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
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Sustainability-focused themes 

Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
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Sustainable life skills 

Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
OCAD U has offered workshops on: Textile and jewellery repair, Seed-saving and vegetable gardening, vermi-composting, local food systems and pollinators, cloth gift-wrapping, upcycling for art & design, and cooking with food scraps.

Student employment opportunities 

Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
Students are hired to manage the ReUse Depot, to host peer-to-peer education on sustainability initiatives, to host workshops related to sustainable life skills, to research sustainability in curriculum, to act as guest speakers on sustainable approaches to art & design, to design graphics and communications support user behaviour towards waste reduction, and to provide institutional decision-making recommendations related to campus sustainability.

Graduation pledge

Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
No

A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
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Optional Fields

A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.