To request an official copy of this policy, contact:

The Office of the Governing Council
Room 106, Simcoe Hall
27 King's College Circle
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 1A1

Phone: 416-978-6576
Fax: 416-978-8182
E-mail: governing.council@utoronto.ca
Website: http://www.utoronto.ca/govcncl/

The University of Toronto is committed to being a positive and creative force in the protection and enhancement of the local and global environment, through its teaching, research and administrative operations. Recognizing that some of its activities, because of their scale and scope, have significant effects on the environment, the University as an institution, and all members of the University community, have a responsibility to society to act in ways consistent with the following principles and objectives:

Fundamental Principles

• Minimization of negative impacts on the environment
• Conservation and wise use of natural resources
• Respect for biodiversity

Specific Objectives

In adopting these fundamental principles, the University will be guided by ethical attitudes towards natural spaces and will take all reasonable steps to meet the following objectives:

• Minimize energy use, through efficient management and practice
• Minimize water use, through efficient management and practice
• Minimize waste generation through reduction, reuse and recycling
• Minimize polluting effluent and emissions into air, land and water
• Minimize noise and odour pollution
• Minimize and where possible eliminate use of chemicals, including outdoor salt, pesticides, herbicides and cleaning agents
• Include biodiversity and environmental concerns in planning and landscape decisions
• Meet and where possible exceed environmental standards, regulations and guidelines

Implementation

To implement this Environmental Protection Policy:

• An Environmental Protection Advisory Committee (EPAC), will be established consisting of representatives of the administrative staff, academic staff, and student groups, to be chaired by a member of the University's academic staff. The Committee will provide advice to the Assistant Vice-President, Operations & Services, on programs to meet the environmental protection objectives. Membership of the Committee will be made known to the community to ensure that new and existing initiatives are brought forward for consideration. The meetings of the EPAC will be open.
• Facilities & Services, through the Waste Management Department will facilitate the development, implementation and evaluation of environmental protection programs, and will liaise with the EPAC and all three campuses on the programs.
• In this role, Facilities & Services will:
  • Regularly review University policies and procedures to ensure consistency with this policy;
  • Carry out appropriate environmental audits and pilot projects;
  • Undertake education and training programmes to inform the University community about this policy and how its members, both personally and collectively, can best meet the objectives set forth in it;
  • Inform all contractors, service operations and users of University facilities that they must comply with requirements of the policy;
  • Annually issue a Report concerning the University's impact on the environment, summarizing initiatives undertaken and identifying matters which require particular attention.

Janice Oliver
Assistant Vice-President, Operations and Services

March 7, 1994