St. Lawrence College
EN-3: Student Life

The Footprint student club is SLC's student-run sustainability club which provides a space for students to engage on all things related to sustainability and to get involved in sustainability initiatives. In addition to raising awareness of the institution's sustainability programs and sharing opportunities for students in the sustainability field, the club hosts a number of public events and projects targeting diverse sustainability topics. A few examples include: 

• E-waste (electronic waste) collection drives: the community (campus and surrounding community) is invited to bring in e-waste is collected by the Footprint students and handed to the Electronics Recycling Association for refurbishment or electronics recycling.


• Winter coat drives - a collection program targeting winter wear for those in need. 


• Sustainability move nights - with the aim of raising awareness on global sustainability issues, the club hosts film nights and discussions for the student community. 
  
  The student club promotes sustainability using the college's online platforms, social media, and bulletin boards. Additionally, another club Enactus SLC (a student club aimed to guide student leaders to drive positive environmental, social, and economic impact) often collabortes with the Footprint student club on initiatives such as the Mental Health Chill Zone, Halloween Harvest Food Drive, and more. The Enactus SLC includes a 'Environmental Impact Category' chapter where the club collaborates with other SLC student clubs, college community, and community partners with the aim of promoting environmental and sustainable action in the community.
  
  See 'Team Footprint' under: https://www.stlawrencecollege.ca/about/sustainability
  Enactuc SLC: https://enactusslc.ca/ 

SLC's Indigenous Team runs an on-campus Indigenous garden which includes a student gardening element. Footprint Sustainability student club members support this garden space and learn about native plants, Indigenous approach to gardening, and the cultural significane of these species. This space is active in spring and summer seasons and is monitored by the Indigenous Office and student volunteers.

Student-run enterprises and student-led projects are supported by Enactus SLC. Enactus SLC is a student club which leads projects focused on sustainable, social, and economic opportunities on campus and in the local community. All enterprises and projects proposed by Enactus student members must have a sustainability scope to it. Students have the opportunity to present their projects at regional and national competitions to a panel of judges made up of business professionals from around Canada. In this way, students are able to develop their skills in business development and marketing, all through a sustainability lens. These pitch competitions also help to prepare students for the workplace and and to gain sustainability-focused business acumen.

Link to Enactus SLC: https://enactusslc.ca/

The college has set up "Green Fees" as an additional tuition fees. Each student pays $7.50 per semester ($15 per year) as part of their regular tuition. The Green Fee Committee made up of students, student government members, and the Sustainability Manager.  There is a Green Fee committee on each of the three campuses which leads the process of selecting how to allocate the funds from the Green Fees. The purpose of the fees is to improve the overall sustainability of each SLC campus by implementing student projects that incorporate 'green' elements, including but not limited those which help to decrease our environmental footprint, create additional natural amenity spaces for the enjoyment of the SLC community, and/or those that promote the procurement/use of environmentally friendly products. Through this fund, the students participating on the green fee committees can develop responsible investment and financial skills. 
See 'Greening Fee' listed under Compulsory Ancillary Fee schedule: https://364599a3-cdn.agilitycms.cloud/Images/3%20fees/fees/102690467_2023-2024_compulsory_ancillary_fee.pdf

Additionally, SLC's Climate Leadership Program (created by the sustainability team and the local municipal Kingston government) awards funds to student teams (following a pitch competition) to implement their climate-focused micro-projects. 

The Sustainability Workshop Speaker Series was hosted in March 2023 which focused on a different sustainability theme each week. 

Overview: The SLC community was invited to join weekly sessions in March 2023 to learn about a variety of sustainability focused topics. The speaker series event was geared towards individual action opportunities to reduce ones impact on the climate and how to make responsible, planet-friendly decisions. The series featured sustainability experts in their respective fields sharing practical advice and information with the SLC community.

Sessions included:

Financing Your Sustainable Life. Presented by Tim Nash of Good Investing, this presentation covered financial literacy and took participants on a journey to achieving personal financial sustainability. Budgeting for financial goals, investment basics, and how to avoid common financial pitfalls were covered, as well as sustainable investing basics. Additional topics included emergency savings accounts, ethical investment decision and financial service options such as credit unions and community bonds. The session aimed to help both new Canadian students in their financial planning talk through a sustainability lens, and information for anyone looking to take steps to align their money with their values.

Eating Sustainably

Presented by Chef Maddy Uens, an SLC Culinary Program Graduate, this hands-on gastronomic workshop focused on cooking and eating more sustainably. Using low-impact (planet friendly) recipes created by Maddy, participants took part in a cooking workshop about cooking without meat, learned how to focus on incorporating local and organic food into their daily meals, and learned about the benefits of composting, reducing food waste, and correct recycling.

Manage Your Energy

Presented by Cedric Pepelea of Sustainable Kingston, the workshop’s focus was on reducing and optimizing energy use in light of the climate crisis we face today. This presentation focused on managing daily personal energy use and how every participant can make a difference with the choices they make at home. Cedric also shared ways to reduce one’s carbon footprint and emissions and information about the various resources available to incorporate a sustainable model at home when it comes to energy use.

Sustainable Transportation

Presented by Dan Hendry, Youth Transit Project lead and member of the Limestone District School Board. This session provided an overview of the sustainable transportation options available in Kingston and information re: why incorporating sustainable transportation into your routine can make a big impact on one’s wallet, health, and on the planet. The session reviewed accessing transit in Kingston and why this is an excellent option for students and staff of SLC.  This session also included an on-bus component where Dan demonstrated features of Kingston's public transit system and discussed details that can help student commuters such as accessing the transit system online, how to make payments, incorporating bikes and transit on your route, etc.

Link to student-made video on the "Eating Sustainably" Workshop: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9U-HazFjMkE

Cultural Arts-Sustainability Events and Installations at SLC Include:

• Students in the Behavioural Psychology and Graphic Design programs were tasked with creating art pieces or infographic posters focused on sustainability and the U.N SDGs, These unveiled at events for each course and displayed at SLC's front entrance (Kingston campus) for several weeks. 
  
  The Behavioural Psychology students also participated in a pitch competition where they pitched their projects ideas and presented their posters in a 4 minute session (each). These projects were focused on the link between behavioural psychology and sustainability issues.
  
  


• SLC's Brockville campus also has an art gallery displaying projects created by the creative arts students. This gallery includes a sustainability-focused section where pieces are rotated on a regular basis. 
  
  


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  SLC Imagines a Better Future: a solutions-focused climate challenge, this initiative was designed to share positive solutions for mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Three workshops were created to share advancements in sustainability and to inspire participants in imagining a sustainable future at SLC. The leaders guided participants in sharing their ideas through the creative arts, writing, poetry, performance, or any other approach that inspires them. Submissions were showcased at a celebratory festival in March 2024 and prizes were awarded to our top contributors in each category. This workshop is open to any SLC community members. Submission Categories: writing, visual arts, poetry, performing arts, and innovation.

  
  

Each April, the Behaviour Psychology program, the Indigenous Services team, and the Office of Sustainability collaborate to organize a land-based learning opportunity for the fourth-year students. This three day retreat focuses on biodiversity, how behaviour affects positive changes, and the Leave No Trace principles tied into Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being. Students have the opportunity to explore the wildreness under the guide of the Indigenous and Sustainability teams and develop an appreciation for the interconnectedness ecosystem and species living within it. The event is typically attended by 50+ students. 

The sustainability team organizes a number of sustainability-focused themes throughout the academic year. A variety of topics is explored in these themes and information is shared through on campus events, through social media marketing campaigns, and through the college's communications team. Examples of themes in the past year include:

• Plastic Free July: an annual month-long initiative aimed at raising awareness within the college community and focused on reducing plastic waste.
  
  


• Sustainability Month: The Sustainability Month 2023 focused on the following topics: Sustainable Transportation, Sustainable Food, Circular Economy, Wellness, and the UN SDGs. (each assigned to an individual week) 
  Link to Instagram Post about Sustainability Month 2023 Themes: https://www.instagram.com/p/CxsuDzHgodg/
  
  


• Active Transportation/Commuter Challenge Week: In this week, the SLC community is challenged with reducing their emmissions during commuting. Participants track their mileage and emissions and those with the best reductions are recognized. Events include roll-in breakfasts and bike repair events. 

Also outlined above under Events, SLC's Sustainability Speaker Series workshops focused on teaching students how to implement sustainable practices in different areas of their faily lives. These included sustainable transportation, eating sustainably, responsible investing and finances, and personal energy conservation tactics. Each speaker delivered a workshop based on the weekly theme. All workshops taught students sustainable life skills such as informed financial decisions, energy-efficient practices, cooking with a lower impact, etc.
Link to a student-made video on the "Eating Sustainably" workshops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U-HazFjMkE

The Office of Sustainability has three Sustainability Assistant student positions, one on each campus. Student employees in this position directly work with sustainability-focused projects at SLC. Other sustainability-focused employees are under the Innovation Hub, Enactus SLC, and the Indigenous services student positions as all those spaces work on sustainability-focused projects.