U of T’s Campus as a Living Lab: fostering sustainability through student engagement

The University of Toronto's Campus as a Living Lab (CLL) program engages students, staff and faculty by way of real-world sustainability projects, combining academic learning with practical experience to create innovative global solutions.

U of T’s Campus as a Living Lab (CLL) initiative uses all three university campuses as a real-world workshop for innovative sustainability solutions. By using existing university infrastructure and engaging students, CLL projects tackle pressing environmental challenges while offering valuable experiential learning opportunities. “This initiative is about giving students a valuable experiential learning opportunity so they can test, in the real world, topics they are learning about in their courses by collaborating with staff across the university,” explains Kristy Bard, project manager for the President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability (CECCS).  

Projects involve small teams of undergraduate or graduate students working collaboratively with university staff on specific sustainability challenges. These challenges can encompass a wide range of areas related to environmental and human well-being, always aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

Students then create reports, presentations and other deliverables, with the potential for their recommendations to be implemented by university staff. “Students can see their recommendations used and implemented by the university and watch their work live on even after they graduate,” says Bard. All final reports are added to the CLL database, creating a valuable resource for future researchers. 

“We believe in an integrated, holistic approach to sustainability,” says Catherine Thorn, Director, Sustainability and Energy Management. “ We want sustainable thinking to not only inform the daily habits of U of T community members, but also inspire imagination, to create a culture of innovation and long-term thinking to effect lasting change.” 

CLL is integral to the CECCS’s broader goal of embedding sustainability into all aspects of university operations and academics. “Bringing together the academic and operational sides of the university, living labs enable a collaborative approach to help solve the university’s various sustainability challenges,” says Bard. This integration ensures that research directly informs practical solutions, creating a virtuous cycle of innovation and implementation. 

Two flagship courses, ENV461H5 (U of T Campus as a Living Lab for Sustainability) and ENV1103H5 (Living Labs for Applied Sustainability), are central to the program, as numerous CLL projects are facilitated through these courses.  

Examples of current CLL projects in the 2024 academic year within these courses include: 

• Container gardening on campus: demystifying the process in a decentralized institution. This project’s clients are Meghan Sbrocchi and Emma Bernardo, School of the Environment. 

• Sustainability support for residences during move out. This project’s clients are Kaitlyn Myles and Stella Chang, New College Don.  

• Rethinking E-Waste: creating awareness and seeking solutions for unwanted digital devices at Woodsworth College. This project was proposed by Roger Bulgin, CAO of Woodsworth and Professor Heidi Craig, University of Toronto Scarborough English 

• Impact of indoor gardening on staff well-being and engagement. This project’s clients are Natalie Vasilivetsky, in partnership with Andrew Vickerson, chief operating officer, Les Verts Living.  

• Campus impervious surface and flood risk. This project was initiated by Chelsea Dalton, Sustainability Office. 

“Looking ahead, the CECCS and our operations subcommittee, in partnership with tri-campus sustainability offices and other partners across the university, are looking for ways to offer varied CLL opportunities to students – not only in courses, but via paid work-study and research assistant positions as well,” Bard notes. “Through continued collaboration and creative projects, CLL projects will continue to make significant contributions to advancing sustainability efforts on campus.” 

Have an idea for a future project? Reach out to Kristy Bard at kristy.bard@utoronto.ca