Western University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

The President's Advisory Committee for Environment and Sustainability (PACES) is tasked with fulfilling ambitious but attainable goals related to campus sustainability and to improve awareness of sustainability initiatives and opportunities campus-wide. PACES reports to Western's President, and is co-chaired by the Vice-Provost, Academic Planning, Policy & Faculty and the Vice-President, Finance and Operations. PACES is responsible for implementing the sustainability strategy for the university entitled “Creating a Sustainable Western Experience”. The strategy sets out Western's 10-year goals and 5-year desired outcomes on embedding sustainability into four key pillars: community, operations, teaching & learning and research. Working groups have been created to ensure that initiatives within each of the four pillars are being achieved. PACES is guided by the following principles: - Incorporating sustainability into our academic programming, to contribute to an educated citizenry and develop future leaders - Engaging in research across the disciplines into issues of environmental sustainability - Reducing our use of inputs - Reducing outputs through recycling and reuse - Focusing on life cycle management of resources and waste products - Utilizing ecological landscaping methods and preserving green space - Building and renovating facilities in accordance with energy efficiency and sustainability principles

As at September 2017, the membership includes: Lynn Logan,  Vice-President (Finance & Operations), Co-chair Dr. Karen Campbell, Vice-Provost (Academic Planning, Policy & Faculty), Co-chair Helen Connell, Associate Vice-President, (Communications & Public Affairs) Nusha Keyghobadi, Director, Centre for Environment & Sustainability Dr. Rob Klassen, Professor, Ivey School of Business Dr. Brent Sinclair, Assistant Professor, Biology Peggy Wakabayashi, Acting Associate Vice-President (Housing & Ancillary Services) Elizabeth Krische, Acting Associate Vice-President (Financial Services),  Director (Purchasing & Parking Services) Paul Martin, Designate for Associate Vice-President, Facilities Management Mike Lunau, Manager, Landscape Services, Facilities Management Dr. Andrew Hrymak, Dean and Professor, Chemical & Biochemical Engineering Beverley Ayeni, Manager, Sustainability, Facilities Management Kevin Irving (student), University Students' Council Appointment Sabina Rakhimbekova (student), Society of Graduate Students' Appointment

The Sustainability Team at Western is a group of staff dedicated to embedding sustainability into operations, outreach and academia at Western. They provide assistance and guidance to departments on campus in order to help them achieve their sustainability goals. In addition, they oversee the implementation of various initiatives on campus, ranging from the Green Office Program, to newsletters and informative lunch and learn sessions. Through their work with students, staff and faculty, the Sustainability Team develops and supports projects, policies and initiatives that reduce the consumption of resources and waste outputs, while also contributing towards the betterment of society. There are three staff members employed full time, with 1-2 student employees during the summer term.

The President's Advisory Committee for Environment and Sustainability (PACES) meets bi-monthly to discuss the implementation of the sustainability strategic plan, to share information and successes around sustainability, and to promote the development of new initiatives that can help enhance sustainability throughout the organization .Some accomplishments include the creation of the WISE competition (Western's Ideas for Sustainability and the Environment), where students engage in developing solutions to sustainability challenges (either local, national or global). Also, through the working groups created that now report to PACES, many departments on campus in partnership with Hospitality Services and other areas on campus, some units have developed sustainability action plans and reports. Finally, through the working groups created reporting to PACES we have been able to implement initiatives such as front of the kitchen composting in buildings throughout campus (through the Green Office Program), and organizing events such as the Great Lakes Agriculture Symposium.