Faculty of Environment Alumni Awards

The image features six headshots arranged in a hexagonal pattern against a white and green geometric background. The individuals include three women and three men of varying ages and ethnicities, all smiling.

Environment alumni are shaping our sustainable future

Each year, we are honoured to recognize some of our most illustrious graduates through our annual awards program.

All across the world, Faculty of Environment alumni are making the world a better place. From Argentina to Zimbabwe and 80 countries in-between, alumni are working to improve their communities and the planet as urban planners, policymakers, scientists and educators. Some run businesses, others consult industry, and some start nonprofit organizations. Whether they are working for the public or private sector, and regardless of the program they graduate from, a common thread ties environment alumni together - they care and they want their work to matter.

The Faculty of Environment is proud of every one of its alumni and all the ways they contribute to a safer, more equitable, and more sustainable planet.

Congratulations to our 2026 alumni award winners!

Read about our winners and their impact! All winners will receive their awards during our annual Evergreen banquet.

Portrait of Reiko Omoto, PhD ’13, with chickens in a garden; text notes Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award 2026, University of Waterloo.
Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Bridging global sustainability and local knowledge

by Dheana Ramsay

Dr. Reiko Omoto (PhD ’13) is a professor, researcher, farmer and lifelong learner whose work bridges scientific research and the knowledge of people who live and work closest to the land and sea. From fisheries and food systems to rural sustainability, her research across Japan, Southeast Asia and United States explores how global approaches can learn from local knowledge and lived experience. 

Two images of smiling bearded man against green hexangon design background.
Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Transforming education through outdoor learning and sustainability

by Dheana Ramsay

Douglas Jones (BES ’93) has spent his career reimagining where and how children learn. As principal of Limehouse Public School, he has helped embed outdoor and sustainability-focused learning throughout school life, building on an interest first sparked during a Waterloo co-op term in outdoor education. His leadership has helped Limehouse earn EcoSchools Platinum certification for five consecutive years while influencing educators and school leaders well beyond his own school.  

Kaitlin Kish Linden, PhD ’18, Recent Alumni Inspiration Award 2026, with University of Waterloo Faculty of Environment branding.
Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Rethinking economics to build stronger communities

by Dheana Ramsay

Dr. Kate Linden (PhD ’18) is an ecological economist, educator and community-engaged researcher challenging conventional ideas about how we define progress. Now an associate professor at Cape Breton University, she works alongside communities on issues ranging from rural aging to ecological footprints. Across her work, she returns to the same idea: lasting change depends less on speed and optimization than on care, relationships and the communities that sustain them. 

Jo Fitzgibbons is shown in a hexagonal portrait on an alumni inspiration award graphic, alongside campus and nature images with University of Waterloo branding.
Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Turning environmental research into urban action

by Dheana Ramsay

Jo Fitzgibbons (MES ’19) is a planner and researcher turning environmental research into practical change in Canadian cities. She currently works in urban ecology with the City of Vancouver where she demonstrates how research, community knowledge and municipal practice can work together to create more room for nature in growing cities. 

Man in blue shirt in hexangon shape with city building model in second shape on designed, green graphic.
Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Connecting the classroom to city-building

by Dheana Ramsay

Adam Clark (BAS ’06, MArch ’09) has created a bridge between Waterloo classrooms and real-world city building. Through years of collaboration as a project client, guest lecturer, critic and mentor, the City of Kitchener urban designer has given students opportunities to tackle active planning challenges while bringing their research and ideas into municipal decision-making. That relationship has contributed to projects including Growing Together, Kitchener’s award-winning framework for growth around its ION light rail stations.  

Keen Footwear receives the Friend of the Faculty Impact Award from the University of Waterloo, Faculty of Environment.
Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Investing in the next generation of environmental leaders

by Dheana Ramsay

KEEN Footwear is a long-standing partner of the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Environment, helping students turn environmental knowledge into action through scholarships, internships and experiential learning. 

All award recipients

Do you know an exceptional friend or alumnus?

We would love to consider them for one of our awards. Please click the link below to nominate them today. It takes five minutes and you could be helping us discover our next award recipient!