Submitted by Nagwa Abou-El Naga, District Environment Committee member
 
Rotarians and Rotaractors spent an hour and a half with Prof Herbert Sinnock, Director of  Sustainability at Sheridan Institute of Technology, on March 18, 2021, at the District Environmental  Webinar. The focus of the webinar was to discuss how the public sector would improve energy use, reduce waste and develop healthy green areas. These areas are not just environmental projects, but also a learning process to changing residents' culture and mindset in using the city's public places to be proactive in protecting the environment.
 
Prof Sinnock led the education and training for Global Environment protection at  Sheridan College and connected with municipalities of Oakville and Brampton to establish  Energy use and Zero emission. 
 
1) Waste Reduction 
 
To be proactive, the college has installed the system of three bins that are well-branded and carry clear signs of what students and staff can insert: 1) Organics, 2) Mixed Recycled, and 3) Using this system, Sheridan College has reduced landfill waste by 54% and increased the recycling and organics by 167%.  City recreational parks, hospitals, colleges, schools and public service offices' would do similar actions toward waste collection as an essential part of protecting the environment. Besides, the college started to reduce paper printing.  Schools and other municipals' offices will save a lot of waste if they minimize printing paper.  
 
Repair Cafe 
The Repair Cafe is an international movement to encourage repair items of all kinds; electrical appliances, clothes, household furniture, toys, etc. If people stop throwing vast stuff that may end up in the landfill and know to make repairs, they strive for sustainability. The Repair Cafe that started at Sheridan College is used similarly in the communities in Brampton and Oakville. 
 
2) Removal of Invasive plants and Food Gardens development 
 
Invasive plants put local biodiversity at risk and impacting native plants, wildlife habitats. Traditional plants and trees can easily replace the areas occupied by Invasive plants. Rotary cares about bringing the native spices back, and it starts with the education of citizens on how to plant vegetable food gardens. 
 
3) Energy performance reduction 
 
Sheridan reduced the energy amount used by implementing simple things: making the building's architecture better and changing leaking windows and doors by adding double glass. Using sensors to turn off lights when rooms are not in use would save a lot of wasted energy and good building envelopes. Sheridan reduced energy use by 50%. The pressed water for the heating model used in Scandinavian countries and Germany made a  difference; For more details of this system, you may like to check Prof Sinnock District  Environmental Webinar video.   
 
Oakville and Brampton Energy Plan 
A community energy plan task-force in Oakville and Brampton worked with Sheridan College to tackle greenhouse emissions. Oakville in February 2020 endorsed the plan, and Brampton established a community energy and emission reduction plan in September 2020. Lastly, you may watch the animated videos created by Sheridan Animation Students to support waste reduction. 
 
Reference: Prof Herber Sinnock Webinar & https://missionzero.sheridancollege.ca/