When we last published Envision in March 2020 our collective attention was fixed on the COVID-19 pandemic. All we knew was that our lives, and our society were about to change. Months later, we are still left with much uncertainty, but one thing I am quite sure of is that our Environment community has the agility to manage profound change, pivot, and identify transformative solutions.
In our 6th installment of Envision, we take the time to celebrate Environment students, faculty and alumni who meet change of all kinds head-on and use their passion for problem-solving to make the world a safer most just place.
Along with COVID-19, the anti-racism action we have seen across Canada is leading to a significant change in society and across campus. Recently Waterloo president Feridun Hamdullahpur announced eight commitments to address systemic racism at Waterloo. “The Faculty is committed to working on these transformative actions.”
The Faculty of Environment has its work to do on anti-racism. This includes decolonizing our curriculum. I invite you to read about a recent School of Planning graduate Katie Turriff, whose reconnection with her Mohawk heritage sparked a desire to change her profession by untangling urban planning from its settler legacy and engaging with her fellow planners to do the same.
One of our three strategic goals is to be Canada’s leader in environmental education and achieve increased impact through sustainability research. The achievements of the Intact Centre are shining examples of realizing these goals. I invite you to learn about how you can reduce the risk of climate change and extreme weather events.
Finally, we are proud to announce our annual alumni award winners. Each year we give out awards for a distinguished alumnus, a friend of the faculty, as well as a young alumnus who have taken the spirit of togetherness fostered by Environment and applied to a meaningful career in sustainability.
From the scores of submissions, we received it was tough to choose just three alumni from our growing community to be acknowledged. I will not spoil the surprise here — you will have to read the story to find out who won.
As always, please stay in touch and drop us a line to share your comments and stories by contacting our advancement office.
