St. George staff, faculty, and students come together to make spaces and events more sustainable

If something is convenient; it is easy—like the casual use of plastic cutlery or the printing of soon-to-be obsolete office plans. But the habits of convenience are not a part of a sustainable future, and U of T has decided—it’s time for a change.

Over this past year, the Sustainability Office has crafted the Sustainable Change Programs for faculty, staff, and students to make offices, labs, courses, residences, and events more sustainable by empowering their greatest agents of change—you. And they are brimming with enthusiasm to launch the programs in early 2022.

When asked why participation in the Sustainable Change Programs matters—University staff members like Lisette Henrich, help desk analyst at Robarts Library, are keen to say:

“Because it’s been time, it’s been time for years. We’re directly responsible for taking care of our environment, and it’s important and within our control,” said Henrich.

Earlier this year, Henrich developed a way to share her staff’s schedule using QR codes instead of paper and is eager to incorporate more sustainable practices in her office.

The Sustainable Change Programs are a part of the U of T’s commitment to combat the climate crisis and reduce our ecological footprint.

“We appreciate the thought and care that have gone into these new programs. They are a great way to support staff in their efforts to improve the sustainability of the University’s daily operations,” said Susanne Miskimmin, manager of the Correspondence Unit for the Office of the President.

The programs are designed around the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals and were developed through a robust consultation with different members of the U of T community. They aim to engage and challenge our community to adopt more sustainable practices in different campus spaces and events.

“Events can create a lot of unnecessary waste,” said Sarah Faulkner, manager of university events for the Office of the President. “It’s exciting that the University is providing resources to mitigate this problem.”

Faulkner added how much of an impact having non-disposable items and sourcing food locally can have on the outcome of running events.

“You can still hold an elegant event while making sustainability a priority,” said Faulkner.

The programs are built around a certification process where individuals or teams complete questionnaires to assess the sustainability efforts of their spaces and operations. The questionnaires cover a wide range of factors such as energy conservation, waste management, transportation, procurement, and culture. The Sustainable Change Programs are centred around the potential for many small changes to make a big and positive impact.

“It’s a great way—while we’re working on sweeping infrastructure changes with the St. George Climate Positive Campus Plan—to have these programs that the U of T community can participate in and lead change locally,” said Kayla LaChance, project coordinator at the Sustainability Office.

You can help drive sustainable change by getting your offices, labs, courses, residences, or events certified through the Sustainability Office website beginning in early 2022. Subscribe to the mailing list if you want to receive notifications about the Sustainable Change Programs.