Scott Nicol

I began the masters program at the NRI in September 2005 with Dr. Shirley Thompson as my primary advisor. My thesis, which was entitled Refrigerators Given Cold Shoulder: Strategies to Improve Sustainable Refrigerator Management in Manitoba, encompassed two major themes within environmental management - that of waste reduction and atmospheric protection. Refrigerators contain significant quantities of ozone damaging chemicals, in addition to representing a highly recyclable product. The objectives of the project were to 1) identify current waste management structure for refrigerators in Manitoba and highlight shortcomings; 2) investigate sustainable management practices and policies (including extended producer responsibility) from other international jurisdictions and 3) develop a list of recommendations to improve sustainable refrigerator management in Manitoba.

The development of this thesis was challenging, however, strong support from Dr. Thompson and a solid thesis committee, with key representation from faculty, government and industry associations, helped to produce a superior end product. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this project was getting out and liaising with numerous stakeholders throughout the Province of Manitoba. In addition, I was able to participate in two international study tours of refrigerator recycling factories in the United Kingdom and attend and present a poster and paper at an international waste management conference in Denmark. I was also able to participate at the Montreal Protocol, an annual United Nations led conference on ozone protection.

This project was also the recipient of numerous accolades and recognitions including an academic publication in the Journal of Waste Management and Research, an award for the Best New Paper on a Montreal Protocol related topic and a 2008 Manitoba Sustainable Development Roundtable award. It was recently nominated for one of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's most prestigious honours: an Ozone Layer Protection award.

• United Nations Enviroment Programmes: OzonAction Multimedia Collection
• http://www.uneptie.org/Ozonaction/information/mmc/lib_detail.asp?r=5067
• Montreal Protocol: 20th Anniversary Awards Booklet (JWMR article)
• http://ozone.unep.org/Publications/Awards-Booklet.pdf International Institute of Refrideration: Information Resources
• http://www.iifiir.org/en/resources.php?rub=1