Action for net zero

 

Mount Saint Vincent University 
The Mount’s Facility Improvement Project (FIP) focuses on three main areas: Sustainability, Energy Efficiency and Deferred Maintenance. Through approximately 40 projects, the university aims to reduce its carbon footprint and better serve the Mount community. These initiatives have led to significant savings of over 20% compared to previous years. Key projects include the conversion of the central heating plant to natural gas, lighting retrofit to more energy-efficient fixtures, installation of low-flow toilets for water conservation, energy-efficient windows, intelligent building automation systems and heat-reclaiming air handling units. Additionally, roofing improvements, replacement of old computers and monitors with energy-efficient models, ventilation system enhancements and the use of a direct digital system for water-cooled condensing units have further contributed to sustainability efforts. These comprehensive measures demonstrate the universities’ commitment to sustainability, energy efficiency and maintenance.

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Luther College  
Luther College has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 72% since its baseline was established in 2003. This accomplishment puts the college on track to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. The college’s sustainability efforts include the use of renewable energy sources such as geothermal energy and solar power. Notable projects contributing to this success include the installation of a wind turbine, solar arrays, steam pipe insulation and LED lighting upgrades. These initiatives, along with individual actions by students and staff, have played a crucial role in reducing the college’s carbon footprint. Luther College is also actively involved in supporting wind energy projects in the surrounding area. To further advance their carbon neutrality goals, the college is exploring long-term projects such as converting all campus buildings to geothermal energy and considering the addition of another large solar field.

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University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is working to offset emissions from university-funded air travel by ensuring every kilometer flown supports sustainability projects across its three campuses. The university has enacted a mandatory carbon offset fee based on distance travelled for all university-funded air travel.  Rather than outsourcing responsibility to a third party, the money from these offsets will instead be invested into projects that lower campus emissions and provide other sustainability benefits. 

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Université de Sherbrooke
In 2023, the Université de Sherbrooke ranked first in the international STARS program, a system that rates higher education institutions’ sustainable development performance. With an overall score of 92.73 points, it has become the first university in the world to earn over 90 points thanks to its achievement of carbon neutrality in June 2022 and its work on biodiversity protection, student engagement, procurement and responsible investment.

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Concordia University
Concordia University’s Office of Sustainability, in collaboration with stream coordinators and relevant stakeholders, has developed a public online dashboard to provide the community with an annual snapshot of the university’s progress in five priority areas: Sustainable Food Systems, Zero Waste, Climate Action, Sustainability in Research and Sustainability in Curriculum.  The dashboard also serves as internal system for tracking of the targets and key performance indicators  set out in its Sustainability Action Plan. This approach enables the university increase transparency and accountability, celebrate progress and look to the future as an opportunity to address areas for improvement.

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Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University has launched a project funded by the federal and provincial governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the university’s carbon footprint in hopes of minimizing the university’s environmental effect. The University will transition from fuel-fired steam boilers to electric-powered steam boilers. Buildings will be converted from predominantly oil-fueled heating systems to systems primarily powered by renewable energy from the province’s vastly regenerative hydroelectric grid. The benefits of electrifying boilers include an estimated reduction in fuel usage of 80-85 percent and an emissions reduction of nearly 30,000 tons. This initiative will allow the institution to better forecast future energy costs and investigate the environmental benefits of using green energy.

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Saint Mary’s University
Saint Mary’s Atrium is designed with green in mind. The building was constructed to strict LEED standards and its signature three-storey living wall is a natural air filter – the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada. Its green roof serves as an energy regulator, improving heat lost in the winter and cool the roof in the summer. This experimental technology reduces the consumption of energy, creates a natural habitat from otherwise unused space and offers Saint Mary’s researchers a unique opportunity to investigate green roof design, measure performance and support research on optimizing crop plants for biofuel feedstocks. 

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Toronto Metropolitan University
To measure and reduce its carbon footprint, TMU has completed a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and monitors scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions on its campus. It has created a Climate and Energy Working Group, led by students and faculty, to establish communal GHG emission reduction targets and plan recommendations to help TMU meet them. In addition, the university has joined the City of Toronto’s Green Will Initiative which brings together building owners across the city to accelerate GHG emission reductions help the city reach net-zero. TMU is working with the city to develop a Pathway to Net Zero Plan.

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The University of Winnipeg  
The University of Winnipeg’s environmental studies program, established in 1970, is one of Canada’s pioneering interdisciplinary undergraduate programs. With seven degree options, the department takes an integrated and practical approach to addressing human-environmental interactions and resource challenges. Their mission encompasses educating future environmental leaders, creating knowledge and engaging with communities at local and global levels.

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The University of Saskatchewan  
The University of Saskatchewan offers a graduate certificate in climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation action. This program aims to provide professionals with the knowledge and skills to understand the relationships between climate science, vulnerability assessments, adaptation development and management applications. The graduates of this program will be equipped to support government agencies, private companies and community planners in developing specific adaptation plans to address climate change.

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Acadia University  
The Acadia Community Farm, established in 2008 by Acadia students, has grown into a half-acre educational garden hosting multiple campus and community garden plots. Students and volunteers play a significant role in managing and maintaining the farm, which provides organic produce to the the university’s dining hall and local food bank. The farm serves as a teaching resource, offering workshops on permaculture, organic gardening and seed saving, and supports field research in various Acadia University courses. Additionally, it acts as the town of Wolfville’s community garden, offering free plots to community members in exchange for volunteer time. The farm aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #2 Zero Hunger and operates based on core values of education, accessibility, inclusivity, sustainability and community connection.

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University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is the first university in Canada to mandate climate education in the arts. It is piloting a first-year arts course on climate change that will address topics like international treaties, climate change in the media and humanitarian crises. All first-year arts students in Fredericton will be required to take the climate change course.

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McGill University
McGill University created a new module to ensure sustainability education is available to all McGill students. The self-paced module, called Creating a Brighter Future: Sustainability at McGill, introduces the concept of sustainability and provides resources and information on ways to get involved on campus. Students were regularly invited to provide feedback on and participate in the design of the module. Because many programs at the university have strict required courses, free online opportunities such as this can help make different types of education accessible for all students. 

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University of Prince Edward Island 
At the University of Prince Edward Island, experiential learning has been a core aspect of the environmental studies program since 2011. One way that experiential learning is incorporated into the program is through a required environmental studies internship course for third-year bachelor of environmental studies students. Integral to the course is a 30-hour volunteer internship where students engage in “hands-on” learning in the environmental field with community partners, such as federal, provincial and municipal governments; local non-governmental organizations; and the private sector. These volunteer internship placements provide an opportunity for students to gain a better understanding of what it might be like to work in the environmental field and, in some cases, provide a steppingstone to a summer job or a future career. 

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Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Emily Carr University of Art + Design has a long history of student and community-led sustainability and environmental efforts. These initiatives include the Hey You! Let’s Talk About Waste – a student-led small paper zines campaign to make people think about how their habits affect the environment, the 2020 summer course Nature Speaking in which students produced a series of podcasts documenting pandemic-era resiliency in the local environment and Border Free Bees  which works to raise awareness of the plight of wild pollinators, empower communities to actively engage in solutions for habitat loss and transform under-utilized urban sites into aesthetically pleasing and scientifically viable pollinator pastures.

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Carleton University
Across the university, Carleton faculty members are teaching and studying sustainability through courses, programs and research projects. As a community they are committed to taking steps in order to ensure all their students gain the knowledge and understanding to become sustainable global citizens. Carleton University has developed a strategic action plan to evaluate sustainability-related curriculum activities and ensure that programs are informed and aligned with SDG goal 4 pathways (quality education).

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First Nations University of Canada  
The First Nations University of Canada offers undergraduate programs and courses in Indigenous Environmental Sciences, including a certificate in Indigenous Environmental Management. The courses combine “textbook science” with teachings from traditional Indigenous Elders and other Indigenous Knowledge keepers to better understand Indigenous Science, experiential learning and oral traditions. Programs are offered in collaboration with the University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic and attract to Indigenous and non-Indigenous students who want to expand their knowledge of Indigenous environmental sciences.

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The King’s University College
The King’s University College introduced environment and sustainability courses across eight different departments such as geography, economics and sociology. The university took the initiatives to included sustainability related courses to protect and sustain their planet, campus and enhance student’s environmental knowledge by implementing a comprehensive environmental teaching and learning curriculum. 

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Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal offers a specialized graduate program in environmental studies and sustainable development for students with a strong interest in sustainable education. It has been successfully integrated over the past two years. The program prepares graduate students to integrate sustainable development studies into their teaching and research. The Université de Montréal strives to expand its coverage of sustainability topics, enrich the study of past challenges and opportunities and develop into a hub of sustainability research and education.

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École de technologie supérieure
ÉTS in Montréal became carbon neutral in 2021, surpassing its target date of 2030. To achieve carbon neutrality, ÉTS Montréal follows three pillars: measuring GHG emissions, reducing energy consumption through efficiency projects and offset emissions. The offsetting component involves purchasing carbon credits that meet the highest quality standards in the world (Gold Standard certification) and establishing the Fonds de recherche ÉTS sur les changements climatiques (FRECC), a research fund that supports climate change-related projects. Additionally, ÉTS has partnered with Planetair to create the Planetair+ÉTS product, which allows customers purchasing carbon offsets to contribute to the FRECC. Through their commitment to innovation and leadership in the fight against climate change, ÉTS aims to make a meaningful and sustainable impact.

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Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University’s Action on Climate Team is a state-of-the-art research-to-practice hub for climate change and sustainability solutions. Between 2018 and 2021, the Team partnered with 10 cities as part of its Integrated Climate Action for B.C. Communities Initiative research project which offered municipalities an equitable, a low-carbon resilient approach to city planning and tests its efficacy.  The team helped municipalities to embed decisions and strategies that look for ways to reduce climate risk and emissions and advance sustainability. This resulted in the development of a handbook that formalizes the low-carbon resilience approach, and it has now become a recognized best practice in city planning and been adopted by higher education institutions in North America.

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University of Calgary
University of Calgary’s Energy Transition Centre (ETC) is a partnership between the University, Innovate Calgary, and Avatar Innovations. The ETC focuses on collaboration and integration between academia and industry to accelerate the development of energy technologies and to nurture, improve and steer emerging energy transition technologies into profitable startup businesses. This transformational approach not only leads to new energy solutions but also the creation of spinout startup companies, new jobs and economic diversification.

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Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University provides students with the chance to acquire valuable real-life learning experiences while providing a service to local community organizations through sustainability-focused community service-learning experiences. Students can create energy action plans based on areas of sustainability in the community service-learning courses, which include a merged environmental, psychology, and action course. In addition, the community service-learning approach includes a research method course that investigates the communication channels through which students acquire knowledge about sustainability.

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