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U of T undergraduate initiative shortlisted for global education award in sustainability literacy
Photo: David Lee
by Corey Allen | December 16, 2024
An innovative program that aims to offer sustainability education to the University of Toronto’s nearly 80,000 undergraduate students has been shortlisted for a global education prize by QS (Quacquarelli Symonds).
U of T’s Sustainability Pathways Program was among this year’s 14 shortlisted nominees of a QS Reimagine Education Award for sustainability literacy, selected from more than 1300 submissions across 18 categories.
The program, created by the President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability (CECCS) – a group of faculty, staff, students and alumni representatives – combines sustainability courses, co-curricular activities, campus-as-a-living-lab projects and capstone leadership training to educate students across the university’s three campuses.
Delivered through a three-tiered system, the Pathways program encourages students in any discipline to help create a more sustainable future and become Sustainability Citizens, Scholars or Leaders, with opportunities to earn a certificate or minor in sustainability as part of their degree.
“The Sustainability Pathways Program is equipping U of T students with the interdisciplinary skills and knowledge needed to be effective agents of change and respond to the pressing challenges of the 21st century,” said John Robinson, CECCS co-chair and professor in the School of the Environment and Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. “Our goal is to ‘reach the rest’ – students who would not otherwise engage with sustainability as part of their degree. This approach is helping to shape the next generation of sustainability leaders, regardless of their field of study, while also providing a transformative educational experience for students.”
First launched in 2020, the Pathways program has since seen strong uptake, and now offers access to sustainability education to more than 86 per cent of U of T’s total undergraduate population. Student enrolment in the program’s Scholar tier has also increased by 27 per cent for 2024. And U of T currently offers more than 2,000 sustainability related courses and more than 100 graduate programs with sustainability content.
The QS category prize recognizes institutions for their “exceptional commitment to advancing sustainability education”. First place was awarded to NEOMA Business School in France, announced last week during the higher education firm’s annual conference in London, England. In addition to U of T, the shortlisted nominees in the sustainability literacy category also included the University of Waterloo, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and IE University in Spain, among others.
The prize announcement follows U of T being named the world’s most sustainable university a second year in a row by QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2025.
U of T retains top spot as world’s most sustainable university in QS global rankings
By Corey Allen | December 10, 2024
The University of Toronto has been named the world’s most sustainable university for a second consecutive year by the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2025, released today.
The ranking, conducted by London-based firm Quacquarelli Symonds, evaluates universities on their ability to tackle pressing environmental, social and governance challenges and their outward impacts, with U of T earning the top spot out of 1744 universities, including 350 new entrants, from more than 100 locations.
“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 U of T President Meric Gertler. “The U of T 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.”
President Gertler continued: “It’s also a testament to the talent, creativity and dedication of the many U of T students, faculty and staff who are deeply engaged in helping to realize that future. Let me take this opportunity to thank and congratulate them, and to acknowledge the outstanding work of the President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability in leading and aligning efforts across our teaching, research and operations.”
U of T excelled in all three key performance categories that make up the overall score, placing first in social impact, fifth in social impact, and 23rd in governance.
“Advancing sustainability and pioneering climate solutions is central to U of T’s mission to power positive change in the Toronto region, the country and the world,” said John Robinson, CECCS co-chair and professor in the School of the Environment and Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. “We are thrilled to see U of T once again receive this global recognition as a sustainability leader from QS, and we celebrate this achievement as a shared success for the entire university community.”
The QS ranking
Introduced in 2022, the QS sustainability ranking is an offshoot of the QS World University Rankings. It uses a methodology that considers more than 50 metrics related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with different assigned weights, grouped into nine indicators across three broad categories:
- Environmental Impact: Includes environmental education, research and sustainability, with the greatest weight placed on academic research in earth and environment.
- Social Impact: Examines employability and opportunities, equality, health and wellbeing, impact of education and knowledge exchange, with the greatest weight given to the equality indicator.
- Governance: Universities are judged based on ten metrics for good governance, including open-access publishing, policy citations and student representation.
U of T’s unique sustainability leadership
In recent years, U of T has made significant academic and operational strides with several major sustainability initiatives launched or underway across its three campuses, including a shared goal to become climate positive by 2050.
Operationally at U of T St. George, for example, Canada’s largest urban geo-exchange system was unveiled earlier this year and will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 15,000 tonnes per year. At U of T Mississauga, the Project SHIFT initiative is completing deep energy retrofits to its district energy system, including electrification and steam to hot water conversion, to cut GHG emissions by 6,000 tonnes. And at U of T Scarborough, the Environmental and Related Technologies Hub (EaRTH) – a partnership with UTSC and four other universities and colleges – is expanding the clean tech sector in the Eastern GTA and developing a net-zero vertical farm.
Across research and teaching, hundreds of U of T faculty are collaborating on sustainability related research across multiple disciplines through institutional strategic initiatives like SDGs@UofT and Climate Positive Energy, as well as more than 120 research units. They also share their expertise by teaching over 2000 sustainability-focused undergraduate courses and more than 115 graduate programs with sustainability-related content.
“We often hear from peers that U of T’s governance model and mandate for sustainability leadership and integration across the university is unique. It is a vision driven by and with champions in our community and we believe this approach has been key to our success as an institution,” said CECCS Secretariat Director Kristy Faccer. “With the support of senior leadership, including the president, our committee and subcommittee members and our broader network, we are fostering transformative change together.”
U of T undergrad initiative expands access to sustainability education
One initiative having a significant impact on undergraduate students and sustainability education is U of T’s Sustainability Pathways Program, created by CECCS.
The flagship program currently provides 86 per cent of undergraduate students with access to sustainability education through coursework, community-engaged and experiential learning and campus-as-a-living lab projects. Students, especially those whose degree programs are not directly related to sustainability, can incorporate sustainability into their studies and even earn a certificate or minor in sustainability as part of their degree.
The Sustainability Pathways Program was also shortlisted for a QS prize in sustainability literacy education as part of this year’s QS Reimagine Education Awards. The award recognizes global innovations in education, with the grand prize winner to be announced tomorrow, Dec. 11, at the same annual conference where the rankings were released.
U of T’s global reputation and expertise
Overall, U of T continues to be the top-ranked Canadian university and one of the top-ranked public universities in global 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
- National Taiwan University World University Rankings
The university’s strong reputation means its senior leadership, faculty and staff are often sought to share their sustainability expertise and experiences with other universities and with different industries. These community members are also frequently invited to take on leadership roles in global initiatives, steering committees and working groups.
For example, U of T is an inaugural and steering member of the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3), a group of more than 20 leading research universities across North America working to accelerate climate action. President Gertler is also chair of U7+ Alliance, a transnational academic partner to the G7 countries and sits on the advisory committee of the International Sustainable Campus Network.
CECCS also co-leads the Network of Networks, a global group that promotes greater collaboration among higher education institution climate networks.
CECCS Dec. 4 Winter Gathering
Please join us for a cozy and inspiring Winter Gathering hosted by the CECCS Student Leadership Subcommittee.
📅 Date: Wednesday, December 4
⏰ Time: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
📍 Location: Second Floor, Smith House (171 College Street, Toronto, ON)
Let’s come together to reflect on our shared commitments, celebrate our collective efforts, and enjoy the warmth of the season. Indulge in a delightful selection of vegetarian and vegan snacks while mingling with fellow sustainability champions.
If you are able to join us, please RSVP as soon as possible here.
We look forward to celebrating with you and fostering meaningful connections to guide us into the new year.
U of T advisory committee embarks on next phase in advancing sustainability
With continuing status, CECCS will move forward on its goal to embed sustainability across all facets of U of T
By Corey Allen | November 7, 2024
Ambition, optimism and a forward-looking vision for sustainability at the University of Toronto topped the agenda at the inaugural meeting of the 2024-2025 cohort of the President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability (CECCS).
The meeting, held on October 24, officially launched the beginning of CECCS’ continuing status. Established in 2017, CECCS will move forward on its goal to embed sustainability into all aspects of the university – from research and innovation to teaching and learning to partnerships to operations.
“U of T’s success and impact in sustainability initiatives, both nationally and internationally, would not have been possible without the vision, creativity and persistence of this committee,” said President Meric Gertler, who delivered opening remarks. “If the last seven years are any indication, this committee’s next phase as an enduring part of the university holds great promise.”
The committee, co-chaired by U of T Professor John Robinson and Chief Operating Officer Ron Saporta, is organized around two overarching principles: regenerative sustainability – to simultaneously increase human and environmental well-being – and the integration of academic and operational sustainability.
Late last year, the committee’s work to deliver on its mandate and make sustainability a fundamental part of the university’s identity contributed to U of T being named the world’s most sustainable university in 2024 by the QS World University Rankings.
Part of the next phase for CECCS also includes the launch of a new subcommittee focused on student leadership. The aim is to increase student involvement and boost student-led sustainability initiatives.
“I want our members to inspire students across all three campuses to engage deeply with the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability and to foster a genuine connection not only to our environment but also to our people and community,” said Kelechi Nwokeocha, a fifth-year environmental science and biology student at UTSC and the subcommittee’s co-chair. “This new subcommittee offers a powerful platform to empower my peers and demonstrate that student voices have the ability to drive meaningful change.”
Over the last seven years, CECCS has played a pivotal role in moving many of the university’s sustainability efforts forward. Notably, supporting a fully costed plan for the St. George campus to become climate positive by 2050 (facilitating similar commitments for the Mississauga and Scarborough campuses) and championing the transformation of the university’s three campuses into living labs for climate solutions.
Under the committee’s guidance, the university-wide Sustainability Pathways Program has also grown significantly. Its Scholar tier, where a student can earn a certificate or minor in sustainability as part of their degree, now offers 86 per cent of undergraduate students access to sustainability education.
The committee’s current formation of 21 members with faculty, staff, students and alumni representatives marks the largest group of new members since its creation in 2017.