Environmental challenges can seem overwhelming. We’re constantly bombarded with news and information about air and water pollution, climate change, habitat and species loss, food shortages and other problems that threaten humanity.
In the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability (SERS), we understand the seriousness of these challenges. But we are equally focused on solutions, and on offering the degree programs, skills and knowledge needed to protect, restore, reform and transform the social and ecological systems that we all depend on.
What will an ERS degree mean for you? It means the opportunity to get your boots dirty and participate in hands-on learning in classes, co-op jobs, field work opportunities, and research projects.
It means integrating ecology and social sciences, and connecting practical skills in ecosystem monitoring and restoration, with environmental policy analysis, impact assessment and collaborative decision making.
And it means working with faculty that are nationally and internationally recognized for their expertise in biodiversity conservation and restoration, food systems sustainability, water governance, climate change and energy transitions, and in understanding the politics of social change.
In SERS, we believe it’s possible to navigate to a more sustainable future. Our mission is to help chart that course, and our programs will prepare you for environmental careers with purpose and impact.
Reach out to find out more about our academic programs, the exciting careers available to our graduates (check out our careers page!), and our award-winning research. We hope you’ll join us!
News
Chantel Markle awarded ORF-RI to advance wildlife and habitat management
Dr. Chantel Markle was awarded an ORF-RI grant to advance wildlife and habitat management.
Eloise Fan awarded Linda Carson Interdisciplinary Award for BES thesis
Eloise Fan was awarded the Linda Carson Memorial Interdisciplinary Award for her BES thesis entitled "Performing arts and climate change: Addressing climate anxiety with forum theatre."
Kelsey Leonard's Christmas Tree Lab works with farms to advance sustainability initiatives
Professor Kelsey Leonard leads the University of Waterloo Christmas Tree Lab which formalized a partnership with the Christmas Tree Farmers of Ontario (CTFO) in 2024. Their goal is to commit to joint research projects and outreach efforts aimed at developing sustainable initiatives to advance the resilience and growth of the Christmas tree industry.
Blog
Truth and reconciliation actions that emerged while exploring co-reclamation of oil sand-degraded homelands
This blog entry dives into co-reclamation of oil sands-degraded homelands at Fort McKay First Nation and the truths and complementary reconciliation actions that emerged from the project.
Conservation and Restoration Ecology (CaRE): You break it, We fix it, Revisited
The research group that Prof. Stephen Murphy leads studies restoration and conservation generally. The projects that the group undertakes cover a wide subject area and have a variety of partners. Prof. Murphy updates us on the latest activity in his dynamic group - restoration, conservation, policy, practice, endangered species, ecology, earthworms, pollen, life, and death. What more can you ask for?
Canada's Impact Assessment Act must be both Constitutional and ensure a sustainable future
Republishing an article published in The Conversation written by SERS professor Robert Gibson.
Amendments to Canada's Impact Assessment Act are being drafted in response to a Supreme Court ruling in October 2023 where a majority of justices concluded that some aspects of the federal Impact Assessment Act reached too far into provincial jurisdiction. Drafting amendments to Canada's Impact Assessment Act will be a difficult assignment. Officials need to respect Canada's Constitution and also apply new knowledge and act on new imperatives. Challenges include not only bringing the laws into constitutional compliance but also meeting 21st-century needs for assessments and decision-making in the lasting public interest.