University News

Bishop's University Signs the Talloires Declaration for Sustainable Campuses

Sherbrooke QC - May 21, 2010

Principal Michael Goldbloom has signed the Talloires Declaration, officially committing the University to an international standard of sustainable development for institutions of higher education.

The Talloires Declaration was drafted in 1990 by 22 original signatories meeting in Talloires, France. The declaration is a ten point document which, once signed by the Principal or Chancellor of a university, commits the institution to such measures as increasing awareness of sustainable development, practicing sustainability in the operations of the institution, fostering environmental literacy, increasing transparency through employing multi-stakeholder processes and maintaining the sustainability movement.

Bishop's University is a leader in establishing and promoting environmentally sustainable initiatives. Within the last year alone Bishop's students voted to eliminate the sale of bottled water on campus (a project which has also been endorsed by Administration), the University announced that the renovation/expansion of the John H. Price Sports Centre will conform to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards as well as the transformation of the campus heating system from natural gas to geo-thermal by 2011; and new composting programs were developed for campus food services facilities resulting in the redirection of one ton of waste from the landfill to composting facilities every week.

Well on the way to becoming an environmentally sustainable campus through the efforts and dedication from the students, faculty and administration, signing the Talloires declaration formally commits Bishop's to the principles of sustainable development for university campuses at the international level. Bishop's hopes to benefit from becoming Canada's 34th signatory to the Talloires Declaration as it introduces the University into a network of 400 institutions in fifty countries dedicated to promoting sustainable development.

"The signing of the Talloires Declaration affirms Bishop's commitment to environmental sustainability," states Principal Michael Goldbloom. "This commitment is already exemplified through the growing number of programs and policies that work to make the campus sustainable with nature while training the environmental leaders of tomorrow."

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