Sustainability in Residences

At Dalhousie University we promote and act on sustainability issues. This is reflected in our residence activities and operations.

Environmental clusters

Dalhousie offers an environmental themed community, or cluster, for students enrolled in environmental programs or those who are simply interested in sustainability and the environment. The cluster is located in Studley House of Howe Hall and overseen by a cluster leader who programs events and provides community support for the members. For more information on the environmental cluster please visit the Residence website.

The Green Residence Forum

The Green Residence Forum works on fostering sustainability awareness and practices among students that live within residences. The Green Residence Forum is guided by these Terms of Reference [PDF - 334 kB].

Reducing energy consumption - The Residence Eco-Olympics

Residences are trying to cut down on energy consumption by switching over to more efficient lighting systems such as CFL’s and some facilities are implementing motion sensors to regulate lighting during low use hours. Each year the Dalhousie Residences compete against each other in the Dalhousie Eco-Olympics to see which residence can achieve the greatest reduction in water and energy usage. Environmentally friendly cleaning products are also being utilized residence wide and all paper bathroom products are made from recycled material.

Monitoring energy and water consumption

Dalhousie has plans to introduce a Lucid Building Dashboard, a web-based near time (updated in short intervals) energy and water consumption monitor that would be installed in various campus buildings, including most of the residences by 2012. The data collected would be both available online and displayed on various screens throughout Dalhousie. This would enable students and staff alike to more directly see the impact of their energy consumption.