Our environments – both natural and human – are changing rapidly, with impacts that can be seen and felt everywhere. From wild weather to food and water scarcity, to sprawling cities – an urgent question arises: how can we create a more sustainable future?
Nearly 50 years ago, Canada’s largest Faculty of Environment was founded to address these sustainability challenges, both here at home and around the globe. Today, I am excited to present the inaugural issue of ENVision, the Faculty of Environment’s alumni and community e-newsletter, arriving in your inbox three time a year, in September, January and May.
Each issue of ENVision focuses on a theme and environmental challenge facing our communities. It will highlight some of the incredible work our students, researchers, alumni and partners are undertaking to address the challenge and create a positive impact. For the first issue we chose a subject that touches on nearly all of our work at Environment: climate resilience.
Our first issue features some of our world-leading research, from partnering for action against extreme weather and climate change, to mobilizing one of the largest sectors in business — the financial sector — all aimed at moving the dial toward innovative solutions for climate resilience. It includes remarkable stories about exceptional current students and alumni — Samantha Gomes, Kali Taylor, and our 2018 Alumni award recipients Dominique Souris and Kevin O’Reilly.
Solving complex climate change problems involves looking not only at our natural world, but also how humans relate to it and how our economy, and communities can play powerful and impactful roles. The faculty, by its very nature, employs a transdisciplinary approach to nearly all environmental problems. I’m excited to showcase the research of Melanie Goodchild, a graduate student using geospatial data and Indigenous knowledge systems to reduce climate change vulnerability for First Nations communities.
Our work at Environment has always been catalyzed through collaboration and support from all arms of government, industry and nonprofit partners. In this issue, you’ll also read about two collaborations we’re particularly proud of.
Recently named as host university for Canada’s United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), Waterloo and Environment are working across the country and around the globe to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) in partnership with cross-sector stakeholders.
With the SDG’s as a guide, we’ve also recently created Entrepreneurship at Environment. At the crossroads of business and sustainability, we continue our tradition of helping solve some the world’s most wicked problems, including how to mitigate climate change, incorporate technological and social solutions, and adapt to the changes to come.
With Environment’s 50th anniversary approaching in 2019, I am so proud of how far we’ve come as a community, tackling climate change from every angle and making a positive impact in people's lives. We are unified by the drive for sustainability. On behalf of everyone who helped create ENVision, we hope you enjoy this newsletter, and we welcome your feedback and encourage you to stay connected.
