Tag: Sustainability Pathways
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 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.