Sustainable Development Goals

The 2025 edition of the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability, released this week by London-based Quacquarelli Symonds, placed �鶹��Ƶ first overall out of more than 1,700 institutions across 95 countries.

The closely watched ranking evaluates post-secondary institutions for their environmental impact, social impact and governance.

“On behalf of the University of Toronto, I am thrilled that our university is once again ranked first in the world in the QS Sustainability Rankings,” said �鶹��Ƶ President Meric Gertler. “The �鶹��Ƶ community is profoundly committed to the advancement of sustainability as one of the most urgent challenges of our time.

“This year’s ranking confirms our resolve to help lead the way to a sustainable future.”

First launched in 2022, the ranking assesses universities based on QS World University Rankings data, including reputation surveys and research output related to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. It also looks at institutional policies, operational data, alumni impact and national data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and World Bank.

To determine environmental impact, the ranking evaluates environmental education, research and sustainability. For social impact, it examines employability and outcomes, equality, health and well-being, impact of education and knowledge exchange. And for governance, the ranking looks at indicators such as student representation and transparent financial reporting.

�鶹��Ƶ performed particularly well in the social impact category this year, moving up three spots to first globally. It also ranked fifth in the world for environmental impact and tied for 23^rd in governance.

�鶹��Ƶ’s performance led a robust showing by Canadian universities. The University of British Columbia shared fifth spot with University College London, making Canada the only country to have two universities in the top five. Two other Canadian universities placed in the top 50: McGill University (15^th) and Western University (30^th).

The QS sustainability ranking comes as �鶹��Ƶ forges ahead with a host of climate-focused initiatives on its own campuses including: Project Leap, a $138-million infrastructure project that will cut emissions on the St. George campus in half by 2027; Project SHIFT, a �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga initiative to speed up the transition from natural gas to electricity; and a combination of new climate-responsible constructions and energy retrofits to older buildings at �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough.

Spurred by these and other efforts, the university’s three campuses last year made a landmark commitment to reduce more greenhouse gases than they emit in the coming years. And �鶹��Ƶ continues to make progress on its pledge to divest from fossil fuel investments in its endowment fund.

At the same time, �鶹��Ƶ is working to enhance Canada’s green energy sector through projects like the Grid Modernization Centre, a state-of-the-art facility led by Climate Positive Energy, an institutional strategic initiative, that will serve as a hub for testing, development and commercialization.

�鶹��Ƶ is also playing a leadership role in sustainability by engaging with regional, national and international partners. For example, the university acted as a founding member of the City of Toronto’s Green Will Initiative, collaborated with the Urban Climate Action Project to help implement the city’s TransformTO climate action strategy and contributed to the Toronto Region Board of Trade’s Banking on Green playbook, which helps Ontario organizations fund green retrofit projects.

Globally, �鶹��Ƶ has convened networks aimed at mobilizing multi-sector partnerships, including the U7+ Alliance of World Universities, the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3) and the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN). �鶹��Ƶ’s sustainability leaders have also been asked to share knowledge and experiences with other universities in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Germany and other countries.

Most important, �鶹��Ƶ is actively creating a new generation of sustainability leaders. Supported by the President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability (CECCS), which recently created a new student leadership subcommittee, more than 2,000 undergraduate courses in 2024-25 now have a sustainability orientation.

Students also have the option of exploring sustainability from various lenses through the Sustainability Pathways program, or to contribute to projects on- and off-campus via the Campus as a Living Lab and Community-Engaged Learning programs.

Overall, �鶹��Ƶ continues to be the highest-ranked Canadian university and one of the top-ranked public universities in the five most closely watched international rankings: Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings, ShanghaiRanking Consultancy’s Academic Ranking of World Universities, U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities and National Taiwan University World University Rankings.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs@UofT)

laurie.bulchak — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 17:06:45 +0000

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs@UofT) laurie.bulchak Sat, 07/27/2024 - 13:06

URL

https://sdg.utoronto.ca

SDGs@UofT brings scholars together in pursuit of UN Sustainable Development Goals

bresgead — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 17:58:16 +0000

SDGs@UofT brings scholars together in pursuit of UN Sustainable Development Goals

bresgead Mon, 04/22/2024 - 13:58

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(photo by NASA Goddard)

Topic

Our Community

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

SDGs@UofT

Sustainable Development Goals

Climate Change

Joseph Wong

Sustainability

Subheadline

'The SDGs require innovative solutions, and universities are where cutting-edge innovations are discovered'

The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals serve as a blueprint for a better world – and universities have an essential role to play in fostering a shared future of peace and prosperity.

Members of SDGs@UofT, a University of Toronto institutional strategic initiative working to advance the goals ratified by the UN in 2015, are encouraging scholars and researchers from all disciplines – from humanities and social sciences, to public health, medicine and engineering – to lend their expertise to the collaborative effort to tackle complex global issues including poverty, hunger, gender equality, labour justice and climate change.

“The SDGs tackle problems that can never be solved by one sector or one discipline alone,” says Erica Di Ruggiero, an associate professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and SDGs@�鶹��Ƶ’s research director. “Many researchers see themselves working on one or two of them, but we can be that nexus at the University showing how to work on four or five together.”

But as the UN’s 2030 deadline for the SDGs fast approaches, universities need a bigger seat at the table to accelerate progress, providing a vital interdisciplinary perspective to understanding and addressing these worldwide problems, says Joseph Wong, �鶹��Ƶ’s vice-president, international.

“The SDGs require innovative solutions, and universities are where cutting-edge innovations are discovered,” says Wong. “Gendered analysis and cultural context – both critical for the SDGs – happen here. We push the knowledge envelope and contribute to evidence-based policy, so the world has the supporting data for its decisions.”

�鶹��Ƶ institutional strategic initiative focuses on UN sustainable development goals

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 13:24:30 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ institutional strategic initiative focuses on UN sustainable development goals

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 07/27/2023 - 09:24

Cutline

A new strategic initiative launched by �鶹��Ƶ will focus on an ambitious research agenda that addresses the UN's 17 sustainable development goals (photo by Johnny Guatto)

�鶹��Ƶ Scarborough Staff

Topic

Global Lens

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Sustainable Development Goals

The University of Toronto has launched SDGs@UofT, a new institutional strategic initiative aimed at having a substantive global impact by supporting sustainable development.

SDGs@UofT pursues an ambitious research agenda that addresses the 17 UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) –targets that individuals, communities, institutions and countries can work toward achieving by 2030. They include taking urgent steps to combat climate change, consuming and producing sustainably, improving health and education, reducing inequality and protecting the natural world, among others.

“Universities have been called on to commit to research and knowledge mobilization that support the sustainable development goals,” says Leah Cowen, �鶹��Ƶ’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “SDGs@UofT is part of �鶹��Ƶ’s commitment to these goals and to developing solutions that have an impact on a global scale.”

SDGs@UofT supports a co-ordinated and coherent convergence research agenda that will leverage existing research strengths and bring together diverse thought leaders to help shape understanding and implementation of SDG initiatives. Convergence research consists of deep integration across different disciplines and is driven by a specific and compelling problem, particularly one arising from important societal needs.

“Removing institutional barriers to interdepartmental, interdivisional and tri-campus collaborations will enable research to address complex global problems that cannot be addressed by a single discipline,” says Joseph Wong, �鶹��Ƶ’s vice-president, international.

The initiative will also launch the SDGs Scholars Academy, a think tank bringing together researchers from various disciplines across �鶹��Ƶ with the goal of advancing understanding and addressing issues critical to sustainable development. Through the academy, SDGs@UofT will conduct research that will identify pathways to achieving the SDGs, measure progress along these pathways and explore interdependencies among the SDGs. It will also design interventions that will assist in the development of the next iteration of global goals after 2030.

SDGs@UofT will be led by �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough and will be supported by a number of divisions and engage researchers, faculty, students and staff from across �鶹��Ƶ.

Wisdom Tettey, �鶹��Ƶ vice-president and principal of �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough, says SDGs@UofT reflects the campus’s commitment to incentivizing collaborative research to solve complex global issues.

“Our commitment is rooted in a collective vision of being the embodiment of inclusive excellence, a bold community of conscientious and adaptable global leaders in scholarship, innovation, teaching and learning who constructively disrupt the status quo, connect the world and advance transformative change for the good of all,” he says.

�鶹��Ƶ has been incorporating facets of SDGs into its academic activities, campus operations and collaborations with local and global partners across its three campuses for several years. Many of these have been guided by the President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability.

Some notable recent examples include the launch of the sustainability pathways program, which clusters courses and co-curricular activities with a common theme of sustainability. There is also a new database of Campus as a Living Lab projects and an inventory of courses that provide students, partners and staff with the opportunity to experiment and contribute to real-world pressing sustainability and climate solutions. Work has been done across the three campuses in fitting buildings with geothermal heating and cooling systems aimed at achieving low carbon emissions.

The ongoing work done by the Reach Alliance, a tri-campus initiative founded at �鶹��Ƶ’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, has also been committed to advancing SDGs by focusing on interventions and innovations that reach those living in extreme poverty. These efforts and others contributed to �鶹��Ƶ being ranked second in the world in the inaugural QS Sustainability Rankings.

Erica Di Ruggiero, associate professor of global health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and research director of the SDGs@UofT, says there is a sense of urgency behind this work.

“The target for the sustainable development goals is 2030, so there isn’t a lot of time. In fact, during the pandemic, many countries lost ground on the SDGs,” says Di Ruggiero, whose research focuses on the influences affecting equitable policy progress on the sustainable development goals.

“But, along with our collaborators, we will harness the strengths of �鶹��Ƶ across disciplines and sectors to generate just and equitable solutions that will also inform future goals.”

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SDGs@UofT

Sustainable Future – Challenge Accepted! Changemakers Ep. 1

siddiq22 — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 18:08:02 +0000

Sustainable Future – Challenge Accepted! Changemakers Ep. 1 siddiq22 Thu, 04/20/2023 - 14:08

Topic

Global Lens

Sustainable Development Goals

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Startups

Sustainability

�鶹��Ƶ Mississauga

Sustainability is at the heart of the University of Toronto’s mission – from academic programming to research, innovation, partnerships and operations.

The �鶹��Ƶ community members who are leading this change are featured in a new five-part video series: Sustainable Future – Challenge Accepted! The first episode in the series – Changemakers –focuses on alumni who are championing new discoveries and initiatives in climate innovation, social justice, green tech and more.

“Even if sometimes the situation does look bleak, there is always hope to bring about change and to take action,” says �鶹��Ƶ alumna Kehkashan Basu, who co-founded Green Hope Foundation when she was only 12 years old.

From centering the needs of youth impacted by the climate crisis to developing grid-free electricity for communities in Africa via a portable solar-powered battery and taking on the fashion industry by developing sustainable textiles, �鶹��Ƶ community members are leading the way toward a more sustainable future.

The Changemakers episode features:

Kehkashan Basu, president and co-founder of the Green Hope Foundation, a youth-led not-for-profit with operations in 25 countries
Olugbenga Olubanjo, founder of green-tech startup Reeddi
Avneet Ghotra, co-founder and chief technology officer of biomaterials startup ALT TEX

Watch Episode 1 of the Sustainable Future series

Courses, clubs and committees: How to get involved with sustainability at �鶹��Ƶ

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 16:25:57 +0000

Courses, clubs and committees: How to get involved with sustainability at �鶹��Ƶ

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 09/09/2022 - 12:25

Cutline

(Photo by Don Campbell)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Our Community

Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainability-minded students who want to have a positive impact on the planet have no shortage of opportunities to get involved at the University of Toronto.

From hands-on campus projects to volunteer opportunities and courses, �鶹��Ƶ students can expand their knowledge, gain new skills and engage with sustainability efforts – on campus and beyond.

“At �鶹��Ƶ, there are very many ways for students to get involved and show leadership in sustainability issues,” said Professor John Robinson, co-chair of the President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability (CECCS).

“Student initiative and leadership have been crucial in influencing �鶹��Ƶ responses to sustainability in the past and will be even more important going forward, helping to shape the university’s role in fostering transition to a sustainable world.”

Sustainability initiatives at �鶹��Ƶ run the gamut from climate action to social justice and equity, in keeping with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This broad definition of sustainability recognizes the intersectionality of challenges and underscores the importance of bringing diverse perspectives to bear when tackling sustainability issues.

Here are just a few ways you can become involved with sustainability at �鶹��Ƶ:

Learn about �鶹��Ƶ’s sustainability initiatives

As the fall term kicks off, there’s no better way to get a crash course on sustainability at �鶹��Ƶ than by visiting the Sustainability Office booth at the Clubs Fair on the St. George campus on Sept. 7. If you can’t make it to Clubs Fair, follow @SustainableUofT and @UofTCECCS on Instagram to learn about initiatives and win prizes through social media giveaways. You can also follow the Sustainability Offices at �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough and �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga to learn about sustainability efforts on those campuses.

The tri-campus Sustainability Offices act as hubs of sustainability awareness and services and are dedicated to cultivating a culture of sustainability by drawing on the enthusiasm and skills of each local community. For instance, the Sustainability Office on the St. George campus empowers students who live in residence to follow sustainable practices and get their room, floor or residence certified through the Sustainable Change Programs.

And Check out �鶹��Ƶ’s Sustainability homepage to learn about the university’s flagship sustainability initiatives – including a commitment to divest from fossil fuel investments and its ambitious pledge to achieve a climate-positive St. George campus by 2050. The latter includes the construction of a massive geoexchange field below King’s College Circle – in connection with the Landmark Project to revitalize the St. George campus’s historic core – that will help �鶹��Ƶ cut emissions by 15,000 tonnes per year.

Courses and programs

Keen to incorporate sustainability into your learning? �鶹��Ƶ offers more than 3,000 sustainability-oriented courses that represent 30 per cent of all undergrad courses. Check out the Sustainability Course Inventory and look up offerings across the campuses and divisions.

You can get involved with real-world challenges by enrolling in one of the many “Campus as a Living Lab” and “Community-Engaged Learning” courses, which help you contribute to sustainability initiatives at �鶹��Ƶ or at private and public sector partners. For example, as part of a Campus as a Living Lab course taught by Robinson, graduate students in the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy explored a range of urban climate policy challenges last year on behalf of the City of Toronto and the Atmospheric Fund. To date, �鶹��Ƶ students have completed over 330 “Campus as a Living Lab” and “Community-Engaged Learning” projects.

�鶹��Ƶ also offers over 100 graduate and PhD programs with sustainability-related content, which can be found on the Sustainability Graduate Program Inventory.

Sustainability Pathways

�鶹��Ƶ’s Sustainability Pathways program helps you enhance your skill set and credentials through certificates and minors, extra-curricular activities and experiential learning.

There are three components to the program:

Become a Sustainability Scholar – and have the designation recorded on your academic transcript – by earning one of these certificates or minors:

Certificate in Sustainability (Faculty of Arts & Science)

Certificate in Sustainability of the Built Environment (Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design)

Sustainable Energy Minor (Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering)

Environmental Engineering Minor (Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering)

Certificate in Sustainability (�鶹��Ƶ Scarborough)

Certificate in Sustainability (�鶹��Ƶ Mississauga – to be launched in 2023)

Establish yourself as a Sustainability Citizen by participating in extra-curricular sustainability activities run in partnership with the tri-campus Sustainability Offices – and have the term “Sustainability Citizen” added to your �鶹��Ƶ co-curricular record. The program is set to be launched later this fall (sign up for the monthly sustainability newsletter for details)
Stand out as a Sustainability Leader by completing the Sustainability Scholar and Sustainability Citizen programs plus a capstone activity (this program is currently being developed, so stay tuned to the sustainability newsletter for updates when available)

Student groups and clubs

Did you know there are over 240 student groups, clubs, societies, unions and associations at �鶹��Ƶ whose mandates align with one or more of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals? Check out the Sustainability Student Group Inventory to peruse them all.

Leadership opportunities

Ready to take on a leadership role? Consider putting yourself up for the Student Advisory Committee of the SDGs @ �鶹��Ƶ institutional strategic initiative (ISI), where you can help advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals at �鶹��Ƶ.

You can also get involved in one of the four sub-committees of CECCS – teaching and learning; research; operations; and engagement and partnerships.

Get funding for your sustainability project

The annual Adams Sustainability Celebration offers several funding opportunities for students with a demonstrated interest in sustainability. They include the $5,000 Adams Sustainability Student Grants for students working to advance sustainability on campus and $25,500 in funding for innovative student-led projects and start-ups through the Adams Sustainability Innovation Prize Competition. You can also apply for as much as $300 in funding for student-led activities that will form a part of the Adams Sustainability Celebration programming.

If you’re an undergraduate student summer researcher working on a climate or sustainability topic, you can apply for a Climate Positive Energy Summer Undergraduate Research Program award worth $5,000.

Stay informed on sustainability events year-round

The best way to ensure that you don’t miss out on any sustainability events is to keep tabs on the Tri-Campus Sustainability Calendar. Attending any events listed in the calendar will enable you to earn credit towards the Sustainability Citizen program.

Organizing a sustainability event? Submit your event to include in the calendar and attract more interest and attendees.

'Always dare to dream,' says �鶹��Ƶ grad Kehkashan Basu, who started an environmental non-profit at age 12

geoff.vendeville — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 16:35:39 +0000

'Always dare to dream,' says �鶹��Ƶ grad Kehkashan Basu, who started an environmental non-profit at age 12

geoff.vendeville Fri, 06/24/2022 - 12:35

Cutline

(Photo courtesy of Kehkashan Basu)

Susannah Cao – A&S News

Topic

Global Lens

Convocation 2022

Sustainable Development Goals

Graduate Stories

Sustainability

At just seven-years-old, Kehkashan Basu already felt concerned about the state of the environment and wanted to contribute to a greener – and more equitable – future. In 2013, she was elected a UN Environment Programme global coordinator for children. At the age of 12, she founded Green Hope Foundation, now a UN Economic and Social Council-accredited not-for-profit with operations in 26 countries and outreach of 300,000 people.

Last year, she received Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal.

Basu, a member of New College at the University of Toronto, graduates this June with an honours bachelor of arts, majoring in environmental studies and minoring in women and gender studies, and physical and environmental geography.

Basu spoke with writer Susannah Cao the Faculty of Arts & Science.

What was your inspiration behind the Green Hope Foundation?

I began my green journey after I saw an image of a dead bird with its belly full of plastic at the age of seven, which was deeply disturbing for me. Around the same time, I attended a lecture by environmentalist Robert Swan, whose words: “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it,” really resonated with me. I planted my first tree on my eighth birthday, which is also World Environment Day, June 5.

I worked on the ground for many years and, at the age of 11, I was invited to speak at my first UN conference. At the age of 12, I was invited to speak at the Rio+20 Earth Summit, where, as one of the youngest delegates, I realized the sustainable development process was not inclusive of young people, women and those from vulnerable communities. Thus, on my return home, I founded Green Hope Foundation to provide a platform for learning that turns into ground-level action.

Working with Green Hope Foundation, Kehkashan Basu teaches Rohingya refugee children about hygiene, sanitation and environmental conservation. Since none of the children could read or write, the team engaged them through art (photo courtesy of Basu)

Now that you’ve graduated, what do you hope to accomplish through your work?

I hope to continue turning my education into ground-level actions. We are amid multiple crises and now, more than ever before, we need to step up and do our bit to build a better future. That is exactly what I hope to accomplish with Green Hope Foundation, acting as a catalyst for change to empower communities that need us the most and encourage them to become leaders in their zones of influence.

What advice would you give to incoming students with similar aspirations?

My advice to incoming students is to not be afraid to step out of their comfort zone. For women and girls, it will not be a bed of roses. At every step, people will try to stop us, but it’s up to us to keep that fight going. I have faced so many challenges as a young woman leader, but I have not stopped. I would also say that this fight for gender equality is not just for women and girls – people of all genders have a very important role to play as our allies. The road to this emancipation must be built on the pillars of sustainability. Be fearless and always dare to dream.

As you set off into the world, what is a favourite memory from your time at �鶹��Ƶ that you will take with you?

My favourite memory at �鶹��Ƶ was when our Green Hope Foundation club hosted its first sustainable development goals conference at �鶹��Ƶ in 2018. It was wonderful to see students, staff and faculty from multiple disciplines at �鶹��Ƶ come together to discuss how interconnected the sustainable development goals are and how every single person, community and field of study can contribute to the localization of the goals and recognize their myriad intersections.

Adams Sustainability Celebration 2022: Four key events focused on building a sustainable future at �鶹��Ƶ

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 21:20:40 +0000

Adams Sustainability Celebration 2022: Four key events focused on building a sustainable future at �鶹��Ƶ

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 02/22/2022 - 16:20

Cutline

(Photo by Johnny Guatto)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Our Community

Adams Sustainability Celebration

Climate Positive Campus

Sustainable Development Goals

Climate Change

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

Undergraduate Students

From innovative ideas to climate positive plans, the University of Toronto’s institution-wide focus on sustainability will be in the spotlight over the next few months during the annual Adams Sustainability Celebration.

The event, hosted by the President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability (CECCS), runs until April and aims to recognize the university’s progress on sustainability-related issues, envision its future and mobilize sustainability-minded students, faculty and staff across the three campuses.

President Meric Gertler said he is looking forward to a “productive and inspiring” celebration that will highlight success stories and inspire new initiatives.

“Universities have a crucial role to play in responding to the climate crisis,” President Gertler said in a video message. “This extends across every aspect of our mission – research, education and innovation – and across every discipline, in the sciences, humanities, social sciences and professions.

“Members of the �鶹��Ƶ community have a lot to be proud of as global champions of this truly vital cause.”

He went on to highlight �鶹��Ƶ’s many achievements on the sustainability front, including the commitment to divest from all direct investments in fossil fuel companies within the next 12 months, and the detailed plan to make the St. George campus climate positive by 2050.

He also thanked CECCS both for organizing the Adams Sustainability Celebration and for its central role in driving �鶹��Ƶ’s progress in recent years.

In a separate video message, CECCS Co-Chair John Robinson noted �鶹��Ƶ is taking steps to expand its sustainability pathways program so that more students will have the opportunity to “be an agent of change in their respective workplace and in society after graduation,” regardless of their programs.

A professor in the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and in the School of the Environment, Robinson encouraged students to check out the Adams Sustainability Celebration event schedule and thanked donor Wendy Adams, whose support made the Adams Sustainability Celebration possible.

This year’s program comprises an array of events, including panel discussions on key sustainability issues such as divestment and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, virtual showcases and student group exhibits. It culminates with the Adams Sustainability Innovation Prize pitch competition, which offers $25,500 in prizes to reward and accelerate innovative sustainability ideas. The March 31 event will also see the awarding of $30,000 in faculty and student grants to support sustainability-related coursework and projects. The deadline to apply for the Adams Sustainability Innovation Prize as well as the faculty and student grants is Feb. 28.

Ron Saporta, �鶹��Ƶ’s chief operations officer, property services and sustainability and co-chair of CECCS, said he hopes the Adams Sustainability Celebration inspires community members to come up with new activities, build relationships and deepen their engagement around sustainability issues.

“We’re building a sustainable future, and the university is uniquely positioned to play a leadership role when it comes to developing research, innovation and the leaders of tomorrow that will meet the climate change challenge,” Saporta said in the video message.

He added that �鶹��Ƶ is actively reducing its carbon footprint through more efficient buildings and infrastructure.

“Innovation is very much what we do and ingrained in our plans moving forward.”

Here are four key events to look forward to as the Adams Sustainability Celebration gets underway:

From 17 Rooms to SDG Booms

Feb. 23, 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

This panel discussion will introduce the actions adopted by �鶹��Ƶ since the 17 SDG Rooms event held in Dec. 2020, which featured discussions around how to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals at the university.

The discussion will feature an overview of the original event followed by an in-depth exploration of initiatives, including the SDG Institutional Strategic Initiative, the �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough 17 Rooms event, the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings and more.

The panel will end with a Q&A that invites members of the audience to discover the various SDG-centred methods �鶹��Ƶ has adopted to respond to the imperative change necessitated by the goals and work towards achieving a sustainable future.

Speakers:

Amanda Harvey-Sánchez (moderator) – PhD candidate and CECCS member
Nicola Foster – associate director, sustainable development, Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation
Patricia Escobar – sustainability manager, sustainability office, �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough
Simon Pratt – director, research strategy and excellence, Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation
Gwen Burrows – executive director, international, Office of the Vice-President, International

�鶹��Ƶ Leading the Way on Climate Change with the Climate Positive Plan

March 2, 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

This panel discussion will involve an overview of the Climate Positive Plan, released last fall, which includes a commitment to achieving climate positivity (or net negative emissions) on the St. George campus by 2050.

It will also address details about the plan’s execution, research perspectives from the Climate Positive Energy Institutional Strategic Initiative, and details from representatives of the �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough and �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga campuses on how their initiatives will complement the vision of climate positivity.

Speakers:

Ron Saporta (moderator) – chief operations officer, Property Services & Sustainability
David Sinton – Climate Positive Energy ISI lead; professor, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
Marc Couture – director, sustainability and energy management, Facilities & Services
Jeff Miller – director, facilities management and capital projects, �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough
Ahmed Azhari – director, utilities and sustainability, �鶹��Ƶ Mississauga

Fossil Fuel Divestment: What Comes Next?

March 30, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

This student-initiated panel will be an opportunity to build connections between students, faculty, staff, and other community members who care about the impact of �鶹��Ƶ’s investments on the environment.

The discussion will celebrate the landmark commitment to divest endowments from the fossil fuel industry, discuss the role of university endowments and pensions in creating new norms for responsible investing and explore next steps for the university and the divestment movement. It will be followed by a Q&A with audience members.

Speakers:

Amanda Harvey-Sánchez (moderator) – PhD candidate and CECCS member
Patrick DeRochie – senior manager, Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health
Rivka Goetz – fourth-year undergraduate student, divestment organizer, Leap �鶹��Ƶ
Matthew Hoffman – professor, Faculty of Arts & Science; member of Divestment & Beyond
Rebecca Sinclair – research and policy analyst, Indigenous Climate Action

Adams Sustainability Innovation Prize pitch competition and awards ceremony

Mar. 31, 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Candidates shortlisted for the Adams Sustainability Innovation Prize will present five-minute videos followed by a five-minute Q&A with a panel of judges to compete for $25,500 in prizes.

The event will also include the announcement of the winners of the Adams Sustainability Faculty Grants and Adams Sustainability Student Grants, totaling $30,000; and the tri-campus Sustainable Action Awards, featuring $300 in gift card awards and $200 in donations to sustainability organizations chosen by the winners.

The deadline to apply for the Adams Sustainability Innovation Prize, Faculty Grants, Student Grants and Sustainable Action Awards is Feb. 28 at 11:59 p.m.

Those interested in attending these and other virtual live panels are asked to register at the Adams Sustainability Celebration website.

Sustainable Development Goals

�鶹��Ƶ ranked world’s most sustainable university for second year in a row

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs@UofT)

Tags

SDGs@UofT brings scholars together in pursuit of UN Sustainable Development Goals

Read more about �鶹��Ƶ’s work on SDGs at SDGs@UofT

�鶹��Ƶ institutional strategic initiative focuses on UN sustainable development goals

Sustainable Future – Challenge Accepted! Changemakers Ep. 1

Watch Episode 1 of the Sustainable Future series

Courses, clubs and committees: How to get involved with sustainability at �鶹��Ƶ

Learn about �鶹��Ƶ’s sustainability initiatives

Courses and programs

Sustainability Pathways

Student groups and clubs

Leadership opportunities

Get funding for your sustainability project

Stay informed on sustainability events year-round

'Always dare to dream,' says �鶹��Ƶ grad Kehkashan Basu, who started an environmental non-profit at age 12

Adams Sustainability Celebration 2022: Four key events focused on building a sustainable future at �鶹��Ƶ

From 17 Rooms to SDG Booms

�鶹��Ƶ Leading the Way on Climate Change with the Climate Positive Plan

Fossil Fuel Divestment: What Comes Next?

Adams Sustainability Innovation Prize pitch competition and awards ceremony