Builders of a green future

The purpose of this project is to analyze the integration and effectiveness of Douglas College’s initiatives in contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a special focus on enhancing curriculum content, promoting sustainable campus operations, and fostering community engagement in sustainability efforts. This research aims to provide actionable insights for refining sustainable development programming practices, processes, and policies at Douglas College, specifically targeting areas such as curriculum development, energy conservation, waste management, and sustainable transportation solutions. By employing a comparative analysis method of secondary data collection, this study will leverage information from the UN SDGs, the Douglas College Strategic Plan 2020-2025, and a minimum of three sociology sources that discuss the role of educational institutions in supporting sustainability. Additional data sources may include campus sustainability reports, statistics on waste reduction and energy usage, and curriculum reviews to assess the incorporation of sustainability principles. The central concepts being studied, namely "sustainability in higher education" and "institutional sustainability practices," will be defined generally as the strategies, policies, and practices adopted by educational institutions to promote environmental sustainability, reduce their ecological footprint, and integrate the principles of sustainable development into their academic programs and campus operations. Poster submission was sponsored by Dr. Siobhan Ashe, (Humanities and Social Sciences Department) for course SOCIO 2270 and was presented at the New Westminster campus on April 11, 2024, for Student Research Days 2024.