Future undergraduate students

Building resilient food systems with biodiversity

Elanor Waslander — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 17:58:33 +0000

Building resilient food systems with biodiversity Elanor Waslander Fri, 01/05/2024 - 12:58

COP28 shed light on food systems and the intricate connection they have to biodiversity and climate.

By Amy Hall

Experts from around the world highlighted a need to urgently transform our agri-food systems to mitigate and adapt to inevitable impacts of climate change at COP 28 the global climate change proceedings that took place in December in Dubai. Dr. Qu Dongyu from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations signaled a turning point for COP where “agri-food systems are taking center stage” and noted this discussion is vital to “achieving the 2030 and Sustainable Develop Goals.”

There is currently a need for intervention as food systems are contributing substantially to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, impacting biodiversity, and degrading soil health. Mr. Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust shared that "plant diversity is at the heart of food systems transformation” and is “key to climate adaptation and reduction of GHG emissions."

One intervention, regenerative agriculture, was front and centre in the discussions about a transition to sustainable agri-food systems. Some defined the concept as a holistic approach to food production that focuses on environmental and soil health, sequestering carbon, and attempting to grow more food with fewer resources. Amy Brachio, Global Vice Chair of Sustainability at EY noted that "regenerative farming practices that restore soil health bring us back to traditional practices." This discussion signals a path forward inspired by the past and by current practices taking place across the world, on a local scale. Other experts at COP 28 noted the need for substantial investment in regenerative agriculture to see the sustainable, biodiversity-focused, transition and for farmers to benefit from these changes first. The current cost of food paid by consumers at the grocery store does not factor in the environmental cost of producing this food to communities. But it is hoped that through investment in regenerative food systems, we can begin to restore the environment and communities while feeding more people.

Eastern Giant Swallowtail on Rough Blazing Star flower; source: Amy Hall

With improved technology and innovation, and better integration of Indigenous Knowledge and traditional practices, we can begin to transform to food systems that not only adapt to climate change impacts but attempt to mitigate them. However, quick action for sustainable food systems is integral as noted by Mr. Jorge Daniel Taillant, Executive Director, Commission for Environmental Cooperation, who made a call to action urging “every person in our global society to use whatever means and resources at their disposal to aggressively tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.”

A muti-sector, diverse approach will be vital to achieving these outcomes. Diverse knowledge systems, local agricultural practices, environmental stewardship, and sustainable finance will all be key to transforming food systems on a global scale.

“May this be a decade of ambition and aggressive collective action. Solutions are within our reach; we simply need to implement them."

– Mr. Jorge Daniel Taillant

Native plants, Asters in an agricultural setting; source: Amy Hall

85 Green: Supporting Climate Action Through Sustainable Tourism

Elanor Waslander — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 16:00:43 +0000

85 Green: Supporting Climate Action Through Sustainable Tourism Elanor Waslander Tue, 01/02/2024 - 11:00

Using national and regional examples from her research, Dr. Michelle Rutty will highlight the key climate change risks facing the tourism sector, followed by an interactive discussion on how a shift to sustainable tourism can support our local climate goals.

Dr. Rutty is a Canada Research Chair in Tourism, Environment, and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo, a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, and Lead Expert on the Tourism Panel on Climate Change.

Waterloo Climate Institute members release key recommendations to address climate cost of tourism

Elanor Waslander — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 14:05:40 +0000

Waterloo Climate Institute members release key recommendations to address climate cost of tourism Elanor Waslander Tue, 12/12/2023 - 09:05

Waterloo professor co-leads the first report to assess the state of tourism climate action

The first Tourism and Climate Change Stocktake report has been released by the Tourism Panel on Climate Change (TPCC) timed with the UN COP-28 Climate Conference. Its 24 key findings aim to support policymakers and the tourism industry in accelerating planning and investment toward low-carbon and climate-resilient global tourism.

University of Waterloo climate change and sustainable tourism expert Professor Daniel Scott was the co-lead, along with Professor Susanne Becken of Griffith University in Australia. The TPCC is a network of over 60 leading international tourism and climate experts from over 30 countries.

“In 2023, the world witnessed an extraordinary succession of climate records so that we no longer need to imagine the impacts of climate change on travel and tourism,” Scott said. “Few tourism authorities have focused on the potentially massive impacts of climate hazards and the paradigm shift that will be required in the transition to climate-resilient tourism development.”

The Stocktake report is significant because it is the first of its kind to assess the progress and gaps in the state of tourism climate action worldwide.

“The key findings indicate the entire tourism sector needs to go further and faster to rapidly reduce tourism emissions and accelerate climate resilient tourism development,” Becken said. “The many signs of progress, good practice, and innovation we identified need to be rapidly scaled for tourism to get back on track for its 2030 and 2050 climate targets.”

A worldwide course change is required across travel and tourism. “Tourism is omitted from national climate change policy in many countries where tourism represents a high proportion of the economy. Tourism can be an important force for climate action to protect destinations and livelihoods that depend on the tourism economy,” said Scott.

“The future of global tourism remains ours to decide. Transformational change in governance, policy and finance alignment, and travel choices are the collective responsibility of the global tourism community. There can be no sustainable tourism if we fail on climate.”

Some of the key findings include:

Tourism is growing faster than the global economy, trending toward longer distances and, therefore, higher emission-intensive travel.
Eight to 10 per cent of global emissions are from tourism, with emissions concentrated mainly in high-income countries acting both as traveller residences and destinations.
Tourism, air travel, and cruise tourism will fall short of their 2030 emission reduction goals.
The greenhouse gas emission intensity of hotel operations is gradually improving in some regional markets, but without acceleration and global expansion will fall short of their 2030 emission reduction target.
Current forms of tourism, such as ski tourism at low elevations, beach tourism in highly erodible coastlines, and some nature-based tourism will not be viable at some destinations because of accelerating climate hazards and limits to adaptation measures.
Tourism policy is not yet integrated with global or national climate change frameworks despite an increase in sectoral climate pledges. Most national tourism policies or plans give limited consideration to climate change.

The report goes on to share that governments and international development assistance continue to invest in tourism infrastructure that is climate-vulnerable and linked to high GHG emission intensity, while training in industry and tourism education programs remains very limited.

Contributing authors from the University of Waterloo also included Associate Professor Michelle Rutty.

The Tourism and Climate Change Stocktake was released on Monday, 11 December and is available at www.tpcc.info.

Changing the way air quality data is shared

Elanor Waslander — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 14:17:19 +0000

Changing the way air quality data is shared Elanor Waslander Fri, 11/24/2023 - 09:17

Shahan Salim, a PhD candidate in the School of Public Health Sciences and a member of the Waterloo Climate Institute’s COP 28 delegation, has designed, in partnership with UNICEF in Mongolia, a platform to use data from low-cost air quality sensors to monitor and predict adverse outcomes related to air pollution exposure in underserved communities.

This low-cost innovation can significantly expand access to air quality data that has typically been generated by a limited number of higher-cost sensory stations that don't have user-friendly dashboards. Salim’s research has earned him an invitation to showcase his work at the prestigious international exhibition, Prototypes for Humanity, in Dubai.

“Air pollution is tricky because until a few years ago, most of the information came through giant high-cost reference centres, which were static in one spot,” Salim says. “As technology is getting cheaper, faster, quicker and more effective, we can gain that same data and make it accessible to low-income communities.”

The new platform is designed to advance air quality monitoring in two parts. First, it will create a real-time dashboard of air quality indicators for communities to use to mitigate or adapt to the risks associated with air pollution exposure. The second part takes the air quality data and applies artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning to predict health outcomes based on exposure.

With expertise from Dr. Plinio Morita's research team in Ubilab at the University of Waterloo, Salim works with engineers and public health officials to develop models to best predict health outcomes. In addition, the team is investigating how AI can be used to predict air quality in areas with no air quality sensors. This secondary application will have the added benefit of providing critical information to communities that have never been able to acquire air quality data before.

The innovations that are showcased at the Prototypes for Humanity exhibition focus on global problems and seek to catalyze action for positive social and environmental impact. The exhibition will bring together innovators, key stakeholders and investors from across the globe to support the uptake and development of these prototypes.

More than 700 university representatives from more than 100 countries participate in the event every year. Salim’s air quality platform was selected from more than 3,000 applications. Salim is particularly excited to showcase his innovation this year because the event coincides with the United Nations climate change negotiations, COP 28, also being held in Dubai. COP 28 will help draw global organizations such as the World Health Organization, UNICEF and other United Nations agencies to the exhibition, increasing the potential for collaboration.

“Beyond funding and partnerships, I want to figure out how I can take this research to change someone's life,” Salim says.

After the Prototype for Humanity exhibition, Salim will join the Waterloo Climate Institute’s delegation at COP 28 as an official observer of the proceedings. Salim hopes to observe how the intersections of health and adaptation are discussed during the sessions.

Announcing the 2023 Water and Energy Security in a Changing Climate summer school

Natalie Heldsinger — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 14:37:47 +0000

Announcing the 2023 Water and Energy Security in a Changing Climate summer school Natalie Heldsinger Wed, 04/26/2023 - 10:37

Climate, water and energy are highly interdependent. The use of fossil fuels is an important driver behind climate change, the impacts of which most notably manifest themselves through changing hydrological and meteorological processes, such as droughts, floods and heatwaves. These in turn impact our water and energy needs, for example air conditioners or access to clean and safe drinking water. Access to water is impossible without energy, and water itself is a source of energy. The transition to cleaner, renewable energy sources is a crucial step to curb future climate change and at the same time help alleviate the global water crisis.

Addressing this complex interconnectivity requires a new generation of skilled talent and the incorporation of expertise across various disciplines. Presented as part of the Sustainable Futures Initiative, the University of Waterloo’s Water Institute (WI), Waterloo Climate Institute (WCI) and the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE) have partnered to advance these efforts by hosting a uniquely designed, three-week virtual summer school, “Water and Energy Security in a Changing Climate.”

The summer school, open to students and professionals, offers daily, one-hour online sessions, from June 5 to June 23, 2023, showcasing leading-edge thinking and understanding from a wide array of University of Waterloo professors focusing on the intersection between climate, water, and energy.

This condensed, virtual program offers unique access to learn from the leading-edge research programs of our water, climate and energy experts.

Roy Brouwer, Executive Director of the Water Institute

Lectures will include a wide range of topics, including climate-proof grey and green infrastructure for sustainable cities, climate change risk management, clean energy solutions and circular economy, water and food security in Indigenous communities, and many more.

Develop a solid understanding of the current water and energy resource management challenges under climate change, gain interdisciplinary perspectives, grow your network of like-minded professionals and obtain a certificate of completion.

Learn more about the program here.

The wide variety of topics and lecturer backgrounds provided a nicely rounded program. The question period was also beneficial in expanding my views and helping me to apply these insights to the work that I perform on a daily basis.

2022 summer school participant

Water and Energy Security in a Changing Climate

Natalie Heldsinger — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 22:58:52 +0000

Water and Energy Security in a Changing Climate Natalie Heldsinger Tue, 04/11/2023 - 18:58

2023 Summer School: Water and Energy Security in a Changing Climate

A Sustainable Futures Initiative presented by the University of Waterloo

The 2023 Summer School will showcase leading-edge research from a wide array of University of Waterloo professors at the interface of water, climate, and energy.

A Sustainable Futures Initiative, the summer school is hosted by the Water Institute, the Waterloo Climate Institute and the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE) and aimed at senior undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, practitioners and interested stakeholders.

The school will run virtually 9:00am-10:00am (EST) Monday to Friday from June 5th-23rd.

This uniquely designed, three-week virtual program offers participants insights and strategies from multiple disciplines to address the urgent challenges related to water and energy security in the context of climate change. As a participant, you will:

Learn from experts on leading edge research in the water, energy and climate change domain
Develop a solid understanding of the current and predicted problems and solutions for water and energy security in a changing climate
Gain interdisciplinary skills and knowledge
Grow your network of like-minded students and professionals
Obtain a certificate of completion

For more details on the program and to register, please visit the summer school website.

Unpacking the international governance framework of the Conference of the Parties

Chantal Vallis — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 14:18:19 +0000

Unpacking the international governance framework of the Conference of the Parties Chantal Vallis Thu, 12/09/2021 - 09:18

About webinar

IC³ hosted a webinar that unpacked the international governance framework of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Moderated by Waterloo Professor Ian Rowlands, the discussion explored how COP fits into the global climate change governance system, and featured guest speakers who shared their own COP experiences. Guest speakers included Elizabeth Atkinson, Senior Policy Manager at Natural Resources Canada, and UWaterloo students and past COP delegates Lowine Hill, Brooklyn Rushton, and Valentina Castillo Cifuentes.

View on YouTube

Speakers

Elizabeth Atkinson: With 20 years working in climate change adaptation policy, Elizabeth currently serves as Vice-Chair of Canada’s National Adaptation Platform and represents Canada as a climate change adaptation negotiator to UNFCCC and COP processes for the Government of Canada. Through her leadership of a strategic adaptation policy team, current focuses also include the deeper mainstreaming of adaptation across sectors and regions in Canada, and emerging areas such as virtual engagement, climate finance and transboundary impacts.

Valentina Castillo Cifuentes is the Program Coordinator of UWaterloo’s Youth & Innovation Project. She holds a masters in Sustainability Management from UWaterloo, and has experience in community engagement through various research projects.

Lowine Hill is a PhD Candidate at the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at UWaterloo. Through an intersectional, transdisciplinary approach, she investigates disaster risk governance in the Caribbean; specifically looking at how social networks, gender(s), and power can influence policy making. Lowine is currently involved in global policy making processes on the topics of climate change and (not natural) disasters. She is also co-leading an initiative on “Decolonising the research process for sustainability”, in the Faculty of Environment at UWaterloo.

Ian Rowlands is Associate Vice-President, International at UWaterloo. He is also a Professor in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability in the Faculty of Environment. Prof. Rowlands has research and teaching interests and activities in the areas of climate change, energy, sustainability, and internationalization.

Brooklyn Rushton is a PhD Student in Geography and Environmental Management at UWaterloo working with Dr. Daniel Scott and Dr. Michelle Rutty. Her research focuses on sustainable tourism pathways in mountain destinations and stewardship of large-scale protected areas.

Fighting climate change with innovation

Natalie Heldsinger — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 16:55:42 +0000

Fighting climate change with innovation Natalie Heldsinger Mon, 04/05/2021 - 12:55

Fighting against the harmful effects of climate change can take many different forms. Reducing, reusing, and recycling are helpful and have been staples of eco-friendly campaigns for decades, but with technological advances and an increased urgency we as a species must do more. Recognizing the innovative abilities of UWaterloo students, we partnered with the Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC³) to offer the Climate Change Fund for business ideas aimed at solving problems related to climate change.

The interest from environmentally conscious Warriors was inspiring and further displayed the commitment from the UWaterloo community to creating a cleaner future. We received applications from 27 different student led teams working on a wide range of ideas. Applicants were working on developing renewable battery technology, an eco-friendly leather alternative, agricultural software management tools, and a flood risk data analytic tool just to name a few. Of this group of applicants, the top five teams were given the opportunity to meet with some incredible climate change leaders and further discuss their ideas.

Expert Judges

Our panel of judges was comprised of highly experienced individuals committed to helping combat the negative effects of global climate change. Judges for the Climate Change Fund included Tom Rand, Ivette Vera-Perez, and Simon Glauser.

Our judges were thoroughly impressed by the student ideas and engaged in deep discussions about the potential and future of their solutions before selecting the two Climate Change Fund Winners. “It often takes a fresh view – sometimes confused with naïveté – and courage to bring critical ideas to the market”, said Tom Rand, “the students who really stood out did all that, but with a good dose of critical thinking. Congratulations to all!”

Managing Director of (IC³), Simon Glauser echoed Tom’s thoughts and celebrated the variety of student solutions he saw:

The Climate Change Fund gave students an opportunity to pursue something that could make a real difference in the climate crisis. The incredible range of ideas in this competition really showcases the determination and skills of UWaterloo students to find solutions to the world’s biggest problems. The top teams – especially our winners – were able to connect their passion and ideas to practical business models. We can’t wait to see these develop further.

Simon Glauser, Managing Director, Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change

Although we could only pick two winners for this competition, based on the participating ideas and dedication to fighting climate change displayed, these solutions will create winners across the globe. With that, we are proud to introduce the winners of the Climate Change Fund!

Climate Change Fund Winners

1st Place: Innowind

Innowind is developing an Airborne Wind Power System to provide electricity to rural homeowners and remote communities around Canada. Their innovative solution aims to decrease reliance on fossil fuel power generation and increase the accessibility of clean power options. Their airborne turbines will be able to capture wind speeds at higher altitudes, generating more power than standard tower turbines, without needing high installation and material costs. To date, they have completed a Mathematical Proof of Concept of Airborne Wind Technology using a mock flight path to predict the power output using aerodynamic relationships and are working on creating a prototype. They plan to use the funding on prototyping and computational simulations to further improve and finalize their design.

View on YouTube

Team:
Rafat Jami, Ph.D Candidate In Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering, UWaterloo
Hasan Kazmi, 4B Law and Business at Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson

2nd Place: Neutrify

Neutrify aims to empower consumers to shift purchasing behaviours to buy more sustainable food by providing carbon footprint data and recommending alternatives to minimize carbon emission when buying groceries online through our browser extension. Their solution will collect extensive data that allows consumers to see the environmental impact of food products throughout the entire production process. To date, they have built their MVP and plan to use the funding on software development and building databases with the aim of enabling them to conduct pilots.

If you are interested in helping Neutrify further develop their climate change solution, complete this survey and share your opinions.

View on YouTube

Team:
Iris Guo, 4A Accounting and Financial Management
Sarah Berdowski, 4A Environment and Business
Kent Chin, 4A Global Business and Digital Arts
Shenali Madhanaroopan, Master of Environmental Studies in Sustainability Management

Fighting against the harmful effects of climate change will take a massive global effort and we are excited to see how UWaterloo is using innovation to join the fight. If you have a solution for a climate change problem, connect with us and we will help guide you to contributing to a cleaner future for all! You can stay up to date with all upcoming climate related opportunities on our social media. As always, keep innovating and help UWaterloo become a leader in battling climate change!

This article originally appeared on Concept's website.

Solve Climate by 2030: 4 key steps for climate action

Natalie Heldsinger — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 18:32:14 +0000

Solve Climate by 2030: 4 key steps for climate action Natalie Heldsinger Tue, 03/16/2021 - 14:32

Solve Climate by 2030: 4 key steps for climate action - It’s time to take action on climate change

Join speakers from the University of Waterloo and Waterloo community for an engaging webinar about actionable climate solutions. The webinar is hosted by the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE) and the Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC3).

The event is targeted to students but everyone is welcome to attend.

Featured speakers will explore a range of climate solutions and recommendations as they discuss critical topics like Green Recovery and a Just Transition. Each speaker will discuss 1 climate change issue and share 1 key step for climate action!

We have an incredible lineup of speakers (speaker bios below) including: Dr. Sarah Burch, Dr. Angela Carter, Tova Davidson, Dr. Roydon Fraser, Jordan Lin, and Mary Jane Patterson.

Speaker topics

Dr. Angela Carter: How you can join the effort to keep fossil fuels in the ground—a promising new approach to solving the climate crisis.

Tova Davidson & Mary Jane Patterson: How Waterloo Region plans to meet its 80 by 50 (80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050) target and other climate goals.

Dr. Roydon Fraser: How to use energy storage to promote energy systems that can include large amounts of solar and wind power.

Jordan Lin: We are running out of time and need to take action now – how to develop action-based habits and engage more deeply with climate issues.

#MakeClimateAClass

This webinar is part of the Solve Climate By 2030 series led Bard College in the US. The series is an international movement educating university and high school students about how an ambitious Green Recovery based in local action can put us on the way to solving climate change by 2030.

UWaterloo's webinar is one of many happening around the globe starting on April 6th, 2021. The goal of these webinars is to launch a global dialogue and bring local climate justice issues into classrooms. Attend the 2021 webinars and use them to #MakeClimateAClass.

Participant Bios

Dr. Sarah Burch (event moderator)

Dr. Burch holds a Canada Research Chair in Sustainability Governance and Innovation, and is an Associate Professor in the department of Geography and Environmental Management at UWaterloo. She is an expert in transformative responses to climate change at the community scale, innovative strategies for making progress on sustainability, and the unique contributions that small businesses can make to this solving this complex challenge. She leads the international partnership-based research project TRANSFORM: Accelerating sustainability entrepreneurship experiments in local spaces, and is the Director of the Sustainability Policy Research on Urban Transformations (SPROUT) Lab.

Dr. Angela Carter

Dr. Carter is an Associate Professor in the department of Political Science at UWaterloo. Her research has focused on environmental policy and politics surrounding oil extraction in Canada’s major oil producing provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland & Labrador). She has analyzed how environmental policy is developed and contested, emphasizing tensions between environmental/community impacts and economic imperatives. Carter is now extending this work in an international comparative project on supply-side climate policy, focused on political conditions necessary to wind down fossil fuel extraction in developed-world states. She is particularly intrigued by the rise of “keep it in the ground” movements and legislation.

Tova Davidson

Tova Davidson is the Executive Director of Sustainable Waterloo Region, a social enterprise non-profit that helps the local business community, and Waterloo region as a whole, become more environmentally and economically sustainable, and therefore stronger. Tova brings her experience in public relations and communications to creatively approach sustainability opportunities. Paired with her business background she is primed to collaborate with top organizations in Waterloo Region to drive change locally and provincially.

Dr. Roydon Fraser

Dr. Fraser is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at UWaterloo, where he also co-supervises the University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team. His research interests include: alternative fuels and hybrid electric vehicles, exergy analysis of energy conversion systems, thermodynamics of ecosystems, energy storage through compressed air/batteries/geothermal, and emissions impacts (local and regional).

Jordan Lin

Jordan Lin is a third year Mechanical Engineering student passionate about sustainable development. He is the co-founder of Impact Alliance at UWaterloo, which aims to mobilize SDG knowledge and deliver engagement opportunities that bring all levels of campus together. He recently co-founded the registered non-profit ReImagine17, which is a national community working to amplify youth action on the SDGs. Jordan’s passion has also led him to take part in co-op terms with a solar solutions R&D institute in Tanzania as well as the University of Waterloo Sustainability Office.

Mary Jane Patterson

Mary Jane Patterson is the Executive Director for Reep Green Solutions, an environmental charity that has been helping people in Waterloo Region live sustainably for over 20 years through programs regarding energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction and cultivating healthy yards. Mary Jane has been working with Reep to make an impact on local sustainability since its inception in 1999, and with her guidance Reep has helped the Waterloo Region community save over 23,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

Registration is now open.

Waterloo Stories: "Innovating to tackle a climate crisis"

Natalie Heldsinger — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 19:02:48 +0000

Waterloo Stories: "Innovating to tackle a climate crisis" Natalie Heldsinger Mon, 11/23/2020 - 14:02

Adrien Côté sits down with University Relations to discuss the role of entrepreneurship as a power tool to build back our economy and tackle climate change.

The original article is featured in Waterloo Stories.

By University Relations

How Velocity and Concept are supporting cleantech entrepreneurship

At its core, Velocity is about unleashing social and economic impact by equipping founders to scale their solutions to real-world problems. And one of the most pressing issues of our time is the climate crisis.

Adrien Côté, executive director of Velocity, sees entrepreneurship as a powerful tool to simultaneously build back our economy and tackle climate change. He’s seen founders come forward with opportunities that create change, whether it’s creating greater efficiency in industry or building technology to remediate our climate. And the goal, he says, isn’t a sweeping solution that solves all problems. Each company’s innovation is one piece that can contribute to a complete solution to the sustainability puzzle.

“The key is getting to adoption of the game changing technology by developing a product that customers embrace with delight. It’s hard work and requires relentless focus on the customer to understand what greater sustainability means in their context. We are seeing adoption in one industry which creates a foothold for stepping into adjacent industries or a beachhead to diffuse more broadly within the same industry,” Côté says.

“It’s also going to be interesting to see how policy and regulatory changes affect market dynamics. Governments are putting forward pandemic recovery plans that integrate strategies for mitigation of climate change. This “build back better” tack could be a boon for many Velocity portfolio companies and startups we are tracking in the formation phase.”

Velocity is also seeing new interest in investments in green and clean technologies as investors consider opportunities within existing industries, but also the social and political landscape.

“You're seeing venture capital funds with a conscientious capitalism angle to their investment thesis which includes considering cleantech solutions,” he explains. “Investors will really pay attention when initial adoption turns into product-market fit, so cleantech founders need to be clever to fund their efforts to that point.”

Spotlight on sustainable technologies

Two current Velocity portfolio companies will be showcased as part of the Waterloo Innovation Summit, scheduled for November 30, 2020. The event will explore how cleantech innovation can drive economic growth while ensuring our planet’s future.

Agrisea and Evercloak will be featured for the sustainable technologies they’ve built in response to the climate crisis. Agrisea co-founders Luke Young and Rory Hornby traveled to Waterloo specifically to join Velocity and help gain traction for their ocean agriculture startup. Similar to hydroponics, Agrisea has designed crops that draw nutrients directly from seawater to produce a food supply that is environmentally and economically sustainable.

Evercloak uses a low-cost advanced manufacturing platform to build ultra-thin nanomaterial membranes, which in turn can be used in cleantech applications like water filtration, barrier technologies and electronic devices. In 2018, co-founder and CEO Evelyn Young was also named a finalist in the Women in Cleantech Challenge, a collaboration between MaRS Discovery District and Natural Resources Canada.

Empowering student entrepreneurs

Velocity is also working with Waterloo students to get a head start through their experiential entrepreneurship arm Concept. In September 2020, Concept partnered with the Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC³) to launch a brand-new Climate Change Grant. The funding is awarded to a student team with an innovative solution to a climate change related problem, with the aim of directly supporting innovation and entrepreneurship focused on climate solutions.

“We sensed that if we focused on impact when inviting students to bring forward their technology business ideas, we would see a different type of engagement with Concept,” says Côté. “For example, over half of the climate applications were pitched by students who identify as female. We also have participation from all six faculties, and we are pleased Concept can support interdisciplinary collaboration in this way.”

Of the 77 applications Concept received this fall, 20 teams categorized their pitches as a climate change solution, and four have moved through to the final round. The first grant will be awarded November 26 at the Virtual Concept $5K Grant and Climate Change Grant Finals

Côté thinks the turnout proves that Waterloo students come to campus looking for more than just a degree.

“When we speak with students it’s clear they want to make an impact. And we can help. If we can start creating that type of career momentum before they graduate, that's huge.”

Future undergraduate students

Building resilient food systems with biodiversity

85 Green: Supporting Climate Action Through Sustainable Tourism

Waterloo Climate Institute members release key recommendations to address climate cost of tourism

Waterloo professor co-leads the first report to assess the state of tourism climate action

Changing the way air quality data is shared

Announcing the 2023 Water and Energy Security in a Changing Climate summer school

Learn more about the program here.

Water and Energy Security in a Changing Climate

2023 Summer School: Water and Energy Security in a Changing Climate

A Sustainable Futures Initiative presented by the University of Waterloo

For more details on the program and to register, please visit the summer school website.

Unpacking the international governance framework of the Conference of the Parties

About webinar

Speakers

Related links

Fighting climate change with innovation

Expert Judges

Climate Change Fund Winners

1st Place: Innowind

2nd Place: Neutrify

Solve Climate by 2030: 4 key steps for climate action

Solve Climate by 2030: 4 key steps for climate action - It’s time to take action on climate change

#MakeClimateAClass

Dr. Sarah Burch (event moderator)

Dr. Angela Carter

Tova Davidson

Dr. Roydon Fraser

Jordan Lin

Mary Jane Patterson

Registration is now open.

Waterloo Stories: "Innovating to tackle a climate crisis"

Spotlight on sustainable technologies

Empowering student entrepreneurs