UOIT associate provost encourages sustainability
Fri Apr 25, 2008

DURHAM -- The associate provost of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology says he would like to see the implementation of policies here to encourage consumers to reduce consumption and a public conscience about waste materials.

Kamiel Gabriel, who was part of a recent panel discussion at the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance's breakfast meeting, was reflecting on his part in a delegation that travelled to Europe last year to discover the best ways to practice sustainability. While there, he met with people from like-minded universities.

"We visited two energy-from-waste plants, both in Sweden. I met with people from science parks affiliated with universities in Sweden," said Mr. Gabriel.

He said his part in the recent panel was to discuss the importance of building clusters, a consortium of companies, municipalities, and academic institutions to drive the energy sector.

"My message was that we should learn from that trip that it can be a success. There are completely sustainable cities where you can see an old person depositing garbage in the appropriate colour-coded bins. The garbage goes down to an underground chute and is then sent to the recycling plant. All aspects of society collaborate to make sustainability successful," said Mr. Gabriel.