Education, partnerships and governance in creating sustainable communities: If not Sackville, where?

Abstract

This paper focuses on education, governance, and partnerships in creating sustainable development in Sackville, New Brunswick, home to Mount Allison, a publicly funded, primarily undergraduate university. Implementing a waste management pilot project exemplified the opportunities within Town and led to a series of recommendations for a sustainable future for the entire community. This waste management project incorporated three apartment buildings into the existing residential recycling, composting and waste management system, of which businesses and multi-unit apartment buildings are currently excluded. The hypotheses that apartment building tenants are capable of properly sorting waste and reducing garbage destined for the landfill was supported by the findings of this project. Furthermore, with proper coordination and execution of this process, the barriers to success can be overcome for this, as well as a range of future sustainable community initiatives. This action-based research also demonstrated the need for a full-time sustainability staff position, connecting the Town and university communities. As Sackville moves towards a sustainable future, the university and other community partners must be consulted and included to ensure long-term, comprehensive success.