Faces of Sustainability: Ian Pineau
Posted on Monday, June 17th, 2013
“The majority of people—students, students, staff and faculty—see sustainability as a good thing and are ready to take it on.”
Sustainability comes naturally for Ian Pineau, who has been coordinating the Outdoor Adventure and Naturalist program at Algonquin’s Pembroke campus since 2002. But he hardly thinks he is alone.
Ian stresses the importance of a balanced definition of sustainability, one in which the starting point is understanding ‘the business case’ and which reaches beyond a purely environmental perspective to include economic and social connectivity. “Once you can demonstrate the business case, other things will fall into place.”
He also sees advantages for students in all programs as sustainability becomes more embedded into the various curricula. “This is an opportunity for the College to be a leading source of programs in sustainability: educating and training our future graduates to be leaders in their fields, whether that’s automotive, construction or nursing. Sustainability will prove to be an advantage in how they run these types of businesses.”
Ian has been active in leading the College’s sustainability efforts as one of the members of the original Sustainable Algonquin Steering Committee, providing workshops and presentations on sustainability as well as the Vocational Learning Outcomes initiative with his Pembroke colleagues.
What’s Next?
Ian has a vision of the Algonquin College brand as synonymous with sustainability within the next 10-20 years. He looks forward to seeing this commitment embedded in the College’s operations, curriculum, buildings and culture.
Related information:
Outdoor Adventure Naturalists Program
Sustainability in the Curriculum
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