SPOTLIGHT
BUZZED ABOUT SUSTAINABLE LIVING Ashley Packer ‘16 brings her passion for sustainability to Mohawk By Shanine Cook, 3rd year Journalism
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shley Packer ’16 began her career at Mohawk College with the Office of Campus Sustainability and Climate Change. Thinking it would only be a temporary position, it has grown into something so much more, not only for her professional life, but for her personal life as well. The Office of Campus Sustainability and Climate Change focuses on eight areas: Waste, food, transportation, energy, building and development, participation and engagement, communication and reporting, and sustainable procurement. Each pillar contributes to making the college campus more sustainable. Mohawk’s new net zero building, The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation is a shining example of what is possible when you put sustainability first. Ashley has been a part of some exciting projects on campus such as the campus
10 INTOUCH | Spring 2018
“... a lot of times we act like we have more than one life, like we have more than one earth. I think if you want to live your best life you need to start caring about the earth as much as you care about yourself.” – Ashley Packer ‘16 community garden and the Mohawk College Farm Stand, but one of her most “tangible achievements“ is the introduction of honey bees to Fennell Campus. “After months of hard work, I’ve finalized the project and the bees arrived at Mohawk in August,” says Ashley. “It’s both exciting and rewarding to know that
we will support pollinators on campus, which in turn, support our food systems in the surrounding community.” Ashley is also involved in the college's Sustainability Initiatives Fund Idea campaign. Each year the campaign invites students to submit ideas on how Mohawk can enhance its sustainability efforts on campus. This past year the campaign resulted in 552 ideas submitted, engaging with over 3,000 students. The selected winners are awarded a cash prize, but more importantly, their ideas are implemented on campus, allowing them to see their projects come to life. “We really focus on explaining to students what sustainability means and hashing out their ideas together," says Ashley. Developing a Continuing Education course is yet another college initiative that Ashley took part in. Local Food Procurement is an online professional development course geared towards industry professionals to enhance their local food knowledge and
