Overcoming sustainability implementation barriers in the college sector : Olds College 2010-2014 Business Plan

Abstract

Implementing sustainability initiatives within a post-secondary institution can start with educating and influencing staff and students. It requires thoughtful planning and preparation in order to realistically expect the target audience to accept, implement, and adopt such plans. Assuming education and encouragement towards sustainable behaviour are the foundation of successful implementation, including the stakeholders in the planning process would seem to be a logical approach in educating for sustainable behaviour. Since post-secondary institutions are communities within communities, they provide a logical starting point to research the challenges of implementing a sustainability education initiative. This thesis explores potential implementation barriers of a recently proposed initiative within the 2010- 2014 Olds College Business Plan of educating staff and students of Olds College about sustainability, so that they become engaged participants in the creation of a College-wide sustainability plan.