Challenging our ecological footprint
The University of Waterloo’s "Division of Environment" was created 50 years ago, on July 1st, with the specific goal of addressing the relationship between ourselves and the natural world – ecology. Our community of schools and departments continues to be drawn together through the study of that interconnection. In this Spring issue of ENVision, we have collected stories from across the Faculty that reflect that focus on ecology, not just our place within the natural and built environment, but how we might challenge the current status quo to lessen the negative impacts of our ecological footprint.
As part of our 50th anniversary celebrations this year, I’ve set a challenge for our Environment community to establish 50 Global Citizen Internships to support experiential education for our students. One of our first donors to this project was KEEN Canada (the well-known footwear company) who has committed to support five Global Citizen Internships at the Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC), as well as ten graduate scholarships. You can read more about their goal to support experiential education in the first article of this issue.
KEEN is working to set an example as a company that takes their ecological footprint seriously, but for much of the fashion industry, sustainability is not given priority as of yet. Don’t miss our article on textile waste, and how we must achieve a circular fashion industry through reuse, repair and recycling of what we consume.
Beyond building our new Global Citizen Internships program, Waterloo’s Faculty of Environment is focused holistically on the need for experiential learning as the best way for our students to get a hands-on introduction to creating change in our world. Many of our alumni will remember having taken one or two field courses with our Ecology Lab. Today the lab plays an integral role in many of the classes we offer, as well as supporting community outreach. To read more about the Ecology Lab and the positive impact interacting with nature has on our lives, , see our article on enabling experiential education, both at Waterloo and in our broader community.
This month, student teams at Environment won awards at three international competitions. We have highlighted one of those awards for a geomatics student team that created the app SMART (Sustainable Management in Augmented Reality Technology). Using augmented reality, the app visualizes urban development plans, and allows individuals to see in three dimensions, what city plans are developing, and then provide feedback directly to city planners. Watch for stories featuring the other two student teams on our website in the coming weeks.
In keeping with a focus on challenging our ecological footprint, a team of Knowledge Integration students take a closer look at our consumption and production systems, with a challenge to think beyond the bin.
Much of the work and research at the Faculty of Environment have both local and international impact. Professor Simron Singh highlights communities today that are most susceptible to climate change in Island Nations: Recycling natural disasters. Small island states are climate-vulnerable and face increasing natural disasters. What can we do to counteract the high economic, social, and environmental impacts they face?
And finally, with our last word on challenging our ecological footprint, professor Jennifer Lynes, directs our attention to the fact that the majority shareholders in the outcomes of climate change are today’s youth. Globally they are demanding a stronger voice, and it is our responsibility to empower their efforts – a priority for our Faculty as we educate and mobilize the next generation of sustainability leaders.
Thank you for taking the time to read through this issue of ENVision, and we welcome your feedback. Please stay connected.
