Sustainability Initiatives

Climate actions and energy savings

• A member of the City of Edmonton Corporate Climate Leaders program, including being featured in a 2021 Case Study (pdf)
• Participant in the City of Edmonton benchmarking program & Energy Star portfolio program
• Energy conservation measure-based energy audits for all main campus buildings since 2018
• Organization and analysis of utility bills to understand trends, recognize anomalies, and identify opportunities for energy savings
• Increasing the resolution of power metering for improved energy management
• Window replacements (2011) to 80% of glass on Main Campus to reduce losses (infiltration)
• Alternative Energy Program elements incorporated into electrical system (e.g. solar panels, wind turbine, X Building solar research)
• Attend industry-sponsored workshops to share best practices and trends

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Campus development and greenspaces

• LEED™ Silver standard for all new buildings
• LEED™ Gold certification of Feltham Centre
• LEED™ Gold certification of Productivity and Innovation Centre
• NAIT’s Campus Development Plan aims to develop our campuses to meet the needs of NAIT and create engaging public spaces with paths, gathering areas and open space — all of which will contribute to a positive experience for students, staff, visitors and the neighbouring community.
• NAIT’s acquisition of Blatchford lands enables NAIT’s future and our vision to be one of the world’s leading polytechnics and the most relevant and responsive post-secondary institutions in Canada
• Part of NAIT’s campus development includes development of a greenbelt - one formal, large green space that will become the distinguishable open space associated with NAIT throughout the region
• Feature hardy, local plants for quads and outdoor common areas on campus

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Building and equipment upgrades

• Maintenance of building design standards for efficiency and resilience
• Building management system gateway level upgrades to improve integration and access to operating information

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Equity, diversity and inclusion

• NAIT has adopted our first Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy to serve and empower our communities
• Shop AT NAIT vendors are required to demonstrate they adhere to fair labour standards
• Corporate and Continuing Education offers an EDI certificate

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Honouring treaty relationships

• Through the Connecting the Four Directions strategy (pdf), we recognize our responsibility to develop opportunities for Aboriginal people, to represent the culture, and share and celebrate the successes of Aboriginal students at NAIT while creating a sense of belonging.
• The Indigenous Communities Advisory Team (ICAT) is a standing key stakeholder group with an established vision, mission, and shared values

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Waste and recycling

• Source separation of recyclables from landfilled materials
• Waste oil collection system for automotives
• Through Clean Technologies, Technology Access Centre for Oil Sands Sustainability (TACOSS) and Centre for Sensors and System Integration (CSSI) our teams works on waste valorization, circularity and plastics research. We are expanding this work to food waste and the Centre for Culinary Innovation will contribute significantly to this work.
• Corporate and Continuing Education is partnered with Circulab to deliver training focused on the circular economy in Alberta
• Battery recycling and disposal program

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Learning and teaching

• Corporate and Continuing Education offers training related to power generation including courses on designing and installing solar photovoltaic systems
• Corporate and Continuing Education has partnered with Canadian Institute for Energy Training to offer training in Passive House Design Courses
• Corporate and Continuing Education launched a Sustainable Home and Property course in Fall 2021
• Integration with academic programs allows students to assist in the implementation of projects at NAIT
• Microcredentials support sustainability by supporting more meaningful participation in the labour market, and add more efficiency to the exchange of skills within the labour market
• Corporate and Continuing Education offers workshops on the responsible and sustainable management of tailings

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Applied research

• Our applied research focuses on economic sectors that are anchored in Alberta’s and Canada’s rich natural resources.  We partner with businesses and communities to innovate and develop solutions that support the environment and sustainable development.
• Through our teams in the Technology Access Centre for Oil Sands Sustainability (TACOSS), Centre for Grid Innovation (CGI) and Clean Technologies we work on technologies and processes that support circularity and reduction of GHG emissions
• The Centre for Boreal Research (CBR), in collaboration with Centre for Innovative Media, Clean Technologies and TACOSS, works on reclaiming lands in the boreal region that have been disturbed by industrial activity. This includes remediation, reclamation, reforestation, peatland restoration, native plant and seed reintroduction.
• CBR, Clean Technologies, TACOSS and Centre for Sensors and System Integration (CSSI) all contribute to this work whether in natural water systems or industrial process water.

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Food systems

• Eat AT NAIT offers a discount for using a reusable coffee cup
• In 2017, the Imperfect Produce program involved using over 300 kilograms (700 lbs) of imperfect cucumbers and tomatoes every few weeks. These vegetables would otherwise be thrown away due to minor blemishes and imperfections.
• Eliminated plastic shopping bags in food retail locations on campus
• Eat AT NAIT offers Meatless Mondays, meaning feature meals contain no meat
• Eat AT NAIT serves only Fair Trade™ certified coffee at all locations (not including franchises)
• The NAITSA Food Centre helps students with emergency food assistance and information for nutrition on a budget

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Sustainable transportation

• NAIT campuses allow convenient access to transit and LRT
• NAIT offers bike lockers, parking, tune-up stations and various other services
• Communauto users can park in dedicated stalls on parking on Main Campus