Fleming College

Peterborough ON – (December 12, 2017) – Fleming College has been named as a top performer on sustainability among community colleges in North America.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has ranked Fleming as fifth overall and second best in Ontario in its 2017 Sustainable Campus Index.

The index recognizes top-performing colleges and universities overall, by institution type, and in 17 sustainability impact areas such as curriculum, energy, transportation, water, investment and finance, and coordination and planning. The impact areas were measured through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS).

“Fleming College’s feature in this report shows its significant leadership and commitment to advance sustainability,” said AASHE’s Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “We are excited to recognize Fleming for working to secure a thriving, equitable and ecologically healthy world through its comprehensive sustainability efforts.”

In addition to Fleming’s overall top-five ranking, the College was highlighted in the report for its research related to the salmon hatchery at Frost Campus. The hatchery is part of the Lake Ontario Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program, which is working to restore the species to Lake Ontario more than 100 years after it was extirpated.

“Sustainability has always been at the forefront of our aspirations at Fleming College and should be interwoven into every aspect of the College, from operations and community engagement to curriculum delivery,” said Tania Clerac, Operations Lead, Sustainability, at Fleming College. “Sustainability also needs to be embedded in our daily actions. As a college community, we should lead by example and continuously strive to improve our performance to not only meet, but exceed our targets.”

You can find the full report here: http://www.aashe.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/2017_Sustainable_Campus_Index.pdf

About STARS
STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. It was developed by AASHE with broad participation from the higher education community. STARS participants submit data to earn a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum rating, or recognition as a STARS Reporter. As of July 1, 2017, 768 STARS reports were submitted by 445 institutions in 10 countries, and there were 858 STARS participants in 34 countries. Fleming College currently holds a STARS Silver rating.

About the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) AASHE empowers higher education administrators, faculty, staff and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation. AASHE enables members to translate information into action by offering essential resources and professional development to a diverse, engaged community of sustainability leaders. We work with and for higher education to ensure that our world’s future leaders are motivated and equipped to solve sustainability challenges. For more information, visit www.aashe.org. Follow AASHE on Facebook and Twitter.

About Fleming College
Located in the heart of Central Ontario, Fleming College has campus locations in Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg and Haliburton. Named for famous Canadian inventor and engineer Sir Sandford Fleming, the college features more than 100 full-time programs in Arts and Heritage, Business, Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, General Arts and Sciences, Health and Wellness, Justice and Community Development, Skilled Trades and Technology, and Continuing Education. Fleming College has more than 6,200 full-time and 10,000 part-time students, and 74,000 alumni.

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Members of the media, for more information please contact:
Laura Copeland
Communications Officer
laura.copeland@flemingcollege.ca
705.749.5530 x 1370