Ecological Economics acknowledges that the economy is a sub-system of human society, which itself is embedded within the biosphere–our common home. Actions could include sustainable production and consumption, ethical investments, divestment from fossil fuels and any activity harmful to the planet and the people, supporting circular economies, and prioritizing care labour and protecting the dignity of workers.
Current initiatives at St. Kate's that support this goal include:
University wide LED Lighting Initiative - This multi-year initiative involves the redesign of space and conversion of light assets to LED. It is a campus wide effort taking place in all space types. This effort reduces our energy consumption, reduces our purchases of lights containing hazardous mercury, increases our product life and costs, improves light for seeing and reduces heat load for HVAC equipment, thereby extending that equipment life as well.
R22 Replacement Project - St Kate's is halfway through a $2+ million multi-year journey to eliminate the use of R22 refrigerant in our HVAC cooling equipment. The university has joined the US efforts to phase out this refrigerant with each new purchase required of associated equipment. When R22 is released into the air outside, it depletes the earth’s ozone layer, which in turn contributes to worldwide climate change. We are pleased to announce that we are on track to be finished with the project by the end of 2029, which is 1 year prior to the US official ban on production of the coolant.