International Sustainability Networks
U of T is a leading member in several international higher education networks as part of its commitment to driving global impact and advancing sustainability.
Participation in these networks enables the sharing of best practices, collaborative learning and networking for sustainability champions working across institutions.
University Climate Change Coalition (UC3)
Established in 2017, UC3 mobilizes university resources and expertise in North America to accelerate local and regional climate action in partnership with businesses, cities and states, foundations and other organizations. U of T was an inaugural member and the network has now grown to 23 members (4 Canadian, 17 American and 2 Mexican).
CECCS co-chair John Robinson serves on the UC3 steering committee.
U7+ Alliance
U7+ Alliance is an international alliance of universities, whose presidents meet annually to share best practices and commit to concrete action by addressing the most pressing global challenges, including climate change and sustainability. Membership in U7+ includes over 55 universities from both G7 nations as well as several universities from the Global South.
U of T’s U7+ activities are led by the Office of the Vice-President, International, supported by CECCS.
International Sustainable Campus Network
Based at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EFPL) in Switzerland, ISCN provides an international forum to support higher education institutions in the exchange of information, ideas and best practices for achieving sustainable campus operations and integrating sustainability in research and teaching. Membership in ISCN includes 91 member universities in 30 countries.
U of T’s membership is represented by the CECCS Secretariat Director.
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Canada
Based at the University of Calgary, SDSN Canada unites Canada’s academic community around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The SDSN has over 1600 numbers in 47 networks across 137 countries. U of T’s membership is represented by the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
AASHE has over 900 members in 20 countries and develops and hosts various initiatives for best practice sharing, professional development and networking for sustainability professionals and champions in higher education. Its Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating (STARS) is a self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance.
UTM earned a STARS gold rating in 2024.
Network of Networks
Co-convened and founded by CECCS Director Kristy Faccer and Cambridge Zero’s Stephen Davison, the Network of Networks (NoN) builds connectivity among post-secondary institutions’ climate networks to accelerate climate action, locally and globally.
Each year, the NoN works to build community and coordinate common priorities identified by more than 25+ network leads from around the world. NoN is actively involved in major UN Climate Events, like the annual Conference of the Parties (COP), Subsidiary Bodies meetings and select climate weeks.
For more information about NoN, contact ceccs@utoronto.ca.