Brock University
Summary
Nestled atop the Niagara Escarpment and within a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, Brock University has grown in harmony with its natural surroundings over the past 60 years.
Inspired by a commitment to preserve and protect its unique campus landscape, and guided by its Carbon Reduction Plan, Brock is charting an ambitious course to achieve a 75 per cent reduction of its carbon footprint by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.
Vice-President, Administration and Services Scott Johnstone says Brock is well on its way to achieving its 2030 target thanks to years of transformative thinking and leadership. The University has already marked a 67 per cent reduction in its overall carbon emissions.
While Brock has always championed sustainability initiatives, Johnstone says significant projects within the University’s energy production and distribution portfolio beginning in 2016 provided a major lift toward reaching campus-wide sustainability goals.
Phase One (2016-17) and Two (2018-19) of the District Energy Efficiency Project (DEEP), for example, saw the upgrade of the University’s Co-generation Plant within the Central Utilities Building (CUB).
Johnstone says the DEEP significantly improved Brock’s energy efficiency, lowered emissions and created a more resilient energy system supplying reliable electricity, heat and cooling to Brock’s growing campus. In August 2020, the installation of the custom-built Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System further helped the University analyze consumption patterns and improve operational efficiency.
Completed in March, the District Energy System (DES) electrification project — which transitioned the campus’ central heating and cooling network to electric-powered chillers and boilers — marked the cumulation of nearly a decade of interconnected work on campus. It is projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 13,700 tonnes by 2030 by diversifying campus heat sources and reducing Brock’s use of natural gas.
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