Canadore College has been recognized as a global leader in campus sustainability, placing second among associate and short-cycle institutions reporting under Version 3.0 of the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).
The ranking was published in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's 2026 Sustainable Campus Index. Canadore earned a score of 66.97 and a Gold rating.
"This recognition reflects the commitment across Canadore to incorporating sustainability into our infrastructure, operations, academic activities and community partnerships," said Mike Miscio, Vice-President, Infrastructure, Technology & Innovation. "It demonstrates the value of a coordinated approach and our continued focus on finding practical ways to reduce our environmental impact, use resources responsibly and contribute to a more sustainable future."
The Sustainable Campus Index recognizes top-performing colleges and universities by country, institution type and across 13 sustainability impact areas. Rankings are based on STARS, a transparent, self-reporting framework used by institutions around the world to measure and improve their sustainability performance.
Canadore's Farm 17 initiative is also featured prominently in the report's overall top-performers section. Located in Costa Rica's Los Santos region within the UNESCO Savegre Biosphere Reserve, Farm 17 is a living classroom operated by Canadore in partnership with Green Communities Costa Rica. The property is a working, shade-grown coffee farm that also produces bananas, lemons, limes, avocados, tangerines and other crops.
At Farm 17, Canadore students trade the traditional classroom for hands-on work in agroforestry, habitat restoration, watershed stewardship, and community-based projects. The site's off-grid classroom is built from mass timber and recycled-plastic roofing, powered by solar and paired with composting toilets, turning low-impact, closed-loop design into a truly unique space for immersive learning in the cloud forest.
Canadore's second cohort of Queen Elizabeth Scholars has returned from a 60-day experiential learning journey in Costa Rica, closing their time with two weeks at Farm 17. There, scholars focused on community integration, immersing themselves in local culture and connecting with local youth and families. They built owl nesting boxes, tracked biodiversity, and planted coffee as part of daily sustainability work, while also completing Canadore's newly launched Purposeful Living Certificate.
"Farm 17 shows what transformative education can look like when students are given opportunities to learn through direct experience," said Jesse Russell, Project Leader, Living Sustainability Centre at Canadore College. "Being ranked second internationally is an incredible achievement that reflects the collective work happening across the College. It strengthens our resolve to continue developing meaningful projects that benefit students, communities and the planet."
The Sustainable Campus Index has been produced annually by AASHE since 2015. It highlights institutions demonstrating leadership and innovation while providing a resource for colleges and universities seeking to advance their own sustainability practices.
The full 2026 Sustainable Campus Index is available at https://www.aashe.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/SCI-2026-.pdf.
More information about Canadore's sustainability initiatives is available at https://www.canadorecollege.ca/sustainable-canadore and https://farm17.ca/.
For more information
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Canada P1B 8K9
www.canadorecollege.ca
