We are pleased to announce and congratulate the winners of the 2025-26 Sustainable Action Awards.

These awards recognize and celebrate people who are making tangible contributions to sustainability at the University of Toronto.

Learn more about the Sustainable Action Awards.

Sustainable Action Award Recipients

Category: Student – Individual (St. George) 

Hannah Permaul Flores 

Hannah completed her Bachelor of Science at the University of Toronto in 2025 and is now pursuing a Master of Science in Geography, with a thesis focused on water quality and health in the Peruvian Amazon. Over more than five years at U of T, she has made a significant impact in sustainability on and off campus. 

Hannah serves as an appointed member of the CECCS Student Leadership Subcommittee, where she collaborates with students and staff to advance sustainability programming across the university community. She was also named a 2025 Neighbourhood Climate Action Champion by the City of Toronto. In partnership with the City and LEAF, she has led tree tours across the St. George campus for over 90 participants and continues to offer tours for the public.  

As a talented poet, Hannah weaves creative practice into her sustainability work. She has facilitated nature poetry workshops for more than 100 schools and organizations across North America, including a collaboration with Take Me Outside Day, where she guided students aged 8 to 18 in exploring nature through poetry. 

Bridging the connection between nature and health, Hannah is also co-leading a national study on nature prescribing as an innovative approach to transforming healthcare in Canada. 

In recognition of her many contributions, Hannah has been named one of Canada’s Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25.

Category: Student – Individual (Scarborough) 

Sunita Lall 

Sunita has played a key role in advancing student engagement in sustainability on campus. For the last two years, she has recruited speakers and served as moderator for the Conservation & Biodiversity Students’ Association Environmental Professionals Panel and has helped engage more than 50 students annually from all levels of study. She has also reached additional students through an ongoing fundraiser in partnership with Earth Rangers Teens, supporting red fox conservation in the Meadoway. 

In 2025, Sunita was selected as a delegate for the Local Conference of Youth hosted at the University of Toronto’s St. George campus. There, she collaborated with fellow youth leaders to develop climate policy recommendations, which were formally presented to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada. 

Beyond campus, Sunita has made a strong impact as an environmental educator with High Park Nature Centre. Through this work, she has helped foster knowledge of local ecology and appreciation for rare ecosystems, such as the Black Oak Savannah, among more than 150 youth aged 4 to 13. 

Sunita has also engaged students across the Greater Toronto Area through her documentary, Green Horizons: My Journey in Environmental Activism. The film was screened at a conference attended by more than 50 participants, primarily youth, who were inspired to take local climate action. 

In recognition of her contributions to environmental stewardship and youth education, Sunita was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in March 2025.

Category: Staff (St. George) 

Family Housing Free Store 

The Family Housing Free Store team has created an initiative that not only reduces waste, but also strengthens community, accessibility, and everyday sustainability. 

Each year, the Family Housing Free Store diverts nearly 19,000 items and more than 2,200 kilograms of clothing from landfill, all within the Charles Street community. 

In the past year alone, residents visited the Free Store over 1,700 times, highlighting just how essential and valued this resource has become for students and their families. 

The team continues to grow its impact in creative and thoughtful ways. Through pop-up events, they make it even easier for residents to donate items and take part in reuse. At their very first event, 24 kilograms of clothing, toys, and household goods were diverted from landfill. 

Within the broader Family Housing community, the Free Store stands out as a consistent and lasting force for sustainability. It has helped foster a culture where reuse is not just an option, but the norm. 

The team also provided valuable insight and guidance to the St. George Sustainability Office when opening a campus-wide Free Store. 

Category: Faculty (St. George) 

Malik Lab 

Guided by Professor Malik in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, the Malik Lab is advancing sustainability by deepening our understanding of the connections between nutrition, health and environmental impact. 

The team has developed the Canadian Food Life Cycle Inventory database, along with a novel Environmental Impact Score–Nutrition index. Together, these tools enable integrated assessments of both the nutritional quality and environmental impacts of foods consumed in Canada. 

To further expand their impact, the team has created an accessible nutrition e-module curriculum designed for a broad audience. In developing this resource, they collaborated with more than 36 community partners, including Ecosource, Peel Food Action Council, and the City of Mississauga. 

The curriculum is currently being delivered to Peel residents at higher risk, with plans to scale across the region and beyond. Ultimately, the team aims to empower individuals to make more sustainable food choices and to transform how health promotion materials are designed and shared.