Words from the winners: Sustainable Action Award recipients share their thoughts

“The Sustainable Action Awards are a way to uphold the individuals and groups who are devoting their time to sustainability,” Allegra Nesbitt-Jerman, one of 11 award winners and the founding member of Pollinate Crate University of Toronto, says.

Pollinate Crate U of T was started by students in 2020 and works to increase pollinator habitats for bees by providing crate gardens and educational resources to Toronto District School Board sites.  

“It’s been really refreshing to be involved in a grassroots initiative and learn what sustainability work looks like on the ground,” she says. 

The 2023 Sustainable Action Awards were presented at the Adams Sustainability Celebration Award Ceremony on March 3 at Hart House. They are awarded annually to students, faculty, staff, and external partners who have made substantial contributions to furthering sustainability across U of T’s three campuses. 

The winners are chosen by a tri-campus panel that scores them on the depth and breadth of contribution on and off campus across the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. 

When talking about sustainability, it is the combination of many small actions with larger initiatives that will enable us to achieve our collective goal.  

Any of us can start with small steps and progress to something bigger at their own pace.  

“Every little action towards sustainability matters,” says Zoë Faiz, one of the runners-up and a student researcher who is quantifying and characterizing microplastics emitted from a landfill in Ontario. 

All the winners emphasize just how important it is to first consider and then minimize the impact that our every-day actions and lifestyles have on the world around us. 

Madeleine Frechette, another award recipient, and co-president for the Environmental Students’ Union, says that living more sustainably starts with active listening. 

“In my experience, one of the biggest barriers to sustainability is apathy, as many feel either uninterested or unfamiliar with contemporary sustainability concerns,” she shares. 

Postdoctoral Fellow at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine Dr. Vijay Kumar Chattu, who won a faculty award, and UTSC Grounds Supervisor Mark Neilson, agree that people need to be mindful of the impact they have on our shared planet. 

“We should consciously evaluate ourselves on a daily basis and take appropriate steps as responsible citizens to ensure a better world for future generations,” says Chattu, who consults for the World Bank and is a visiting research fellow on climate change at the United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies in Belgium. 

As a partner in U of T Scarborough’s Edible Campus & Campus Farm initiative, Neilson also suggests paying closer attention to the products we buy and encourages opting for more sustainable options. 

Farm Coordinator Béatrice Lego suggests thrift shopping, purchasing second-hand items, using public transport, and buying local food as changes we can all make. 

It is now clear that according to this year’s winners, we all have a part to play in creating a sustainable world. 

For a full list of winners and the impact they make in our community, please visit the Sustainable Action Awards webpage.