Five minutes with Robert C. Gillett, president and CEO of Algonquin College

By Jim Donnelly, Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Wed, Jul 29, 2009 2:00 PM EST

Robert Gillett of Algonquin College

Algonquin College will host the 2009 Corporate & Community Social Responsibility (CCSR) conference, to be held later this year and which will discuss themes of social, economic and environmental sustainability – the three pillars of importance of corporate social responsibility.

The 2009 conference will include a full day of presentations consisting of 12 sessions with speakers from five academic institutions, industry and NGOs.

OBJ: How long has Algonquin College been involved with corporate social responsibility?

GILLETT: We've been doing some of this for a long time; we just haven't called it corporate social responsibility. But it's a set of ethics and principles that the college is and should be aligned with – and that's why we're promoting this, so companies do the same. People are starting to buy into this, and sustainability influences a ton of students in any given year.

OBJ: Is it easier, though, for a Canadian school to subscribe to CSR principles since it's not after a fat bottom line quite as much as a private company?

GILLETT: I do think it's easier for an academic institution that doesn't have a profit-driven model – but that doesn't make it right for companies to ignore sustainability practices. We believe being environmentally sustainable will eventually save us money. And we think we're operating for the public good, and we hope we're holding a higher standard than others. And since we're so transparent in how we operate, I think people call us out to a higher level of trust.

OBJ: What kind of sustainability initiatives has Algonquin undertaken recently?

GILLETT: We've got a major contract with Direct Energy to do a total retrofit of the college, which will cut our energy costs by around $700,000 per year. We've also gotten rid of all Styrofoam containers on campus, and we have recycling bins throughout the college. We're also looking to buy some hybrid vehicles for the college.

But we're also trying to instil these principles through education.

And we're trying to say that no matter what you do in this college, you'll be exposed to these principles. And all of our new buildings will be LEED-Gold rated.

We're also teaching the trades how to build in LEED fashion. We have a one-year program on the environment in the business program, which is a first in Canada.

It's kind of easy to go down this road when it's the stuff you believe in, anyway.

OBJ: Why is it important for Algonquin to be recognized alongside a social responsibility tradeshow?

GILLETT: During last year's conference, it brought people of like minds together and gave a chance for dialogue to happen. It provided a forum which didn't exist, and good things have happened as a result. It creates awareness in the public that there are successful implementations of CSR, within large and small organizations. And it's a good chance to offer seminars and lectures on CSR, and it's a way to engage the community.

And Ottawa should be a magnet for this kind of activity to be happening.

OBJ: Personally, do you emulate these concepts and standards when you leave campus to go home at night?

GILLETT: Yes. I own a hybrid vehicle. We try to do the same things at home that we'd do here in terms of energy consumption. Am I as good as some? Not even close. I guess I could bike to work, but it doesn't really work with my schedule. But my wife is quite adamant that we follow this as closely as we can.