GBC’s new institute focuses on partnership and research to provide sustainable solutions to global challenges.  

The Brookfield Sustainability Institute (BSI) at George Brown College (GBC) was conceptualized as a separate institute at the college with a complete focus on smart sustainability and digital transformation. 

Funded by a donation made by Jack Cockwell which also funds the Limberlost Place, GBC’s zero-carbon building, the institute is built on the legacy of the Institute without Boundaries (IwB). 

IwB was founded in 2003 as a think tank at GBC committed to ‘collaborating design practices for a better world’. 

“What we really need is an institute that focuses on the solutions that can be implemented, and trains young people to be ready to face and create and innovate in a way to face that future for the next generation,” said Luigi Ferrara, inaugural chair, and CEO of BSI.  

GBC believes in tackling the ongoing climate and sustainability challenges through initiatives like the BSI, which can help achieve sustainability on various fronts. 

There are three main parts to the institute.  

The first consists of a global solution studio committed to developing applied solutions in partnership with industry, government, and non-profits and foundations.  

The second is providing education programs that offer industry participatory learning. Students will be able to learn and earn, while also making their contributions towards meaningful change in their respective sectors.   

The final part of the institute is an observatory with a digital platform that will be used to scope out sustainable solutions to global challenges through student and staff research.  

The institute is envisioned to become a place where research and publications can thrive. 

“For instance, Limberlost is going to have a new type of structural system, a new kind of ventilation and mechanical systems that have never been used before. So, we’re going to publish information about all these innovations so that other people in the world can start learning and adopting them and helping to make the planet a safer place to live as we move forward,” said Ferrara.  

The BSI will start its first study program in the fall semester. The Interdisciplinary design strategy graduate certificate program, which was a part of the IwB, is now being adapted for the institute.  

The institute has already started engaging students in various charettes.  

“We’ve had 170 students, both from George Brown and from our partner institutions, come together and work on solutions for companies in short, collaborative charettes that we’ve been running,” Ferrara said.  

Students have also been hired part-time to work on projects with the institute, one of which is ‘For Tomorrow’, a sustainable hoodie design for a circular fashion brand.  

“We’ve been doing many projects such as projects on climate-positive neighborhoods and how to integrate refugees in a sustainable way in the city. And the students have been working side by side with our league of innovators, consisting of our industry partners and experts from around the world, to solve these unique problems,” said Ferrara. 

BSI recognizes the value of innovation in equipping students and graduates with tools to solve a growing set of complex problems. It aims to help do this by providing opportunities to partner and work with industry partners.  

The institute will be located at Limberlost Place upon its completion and is currently housed in the Daniels building at the Waterfront Campus. 

Learn more about the Brookfield Sustainability Institute on their website.