Environment

Choosing a real Christmas tree is a cherished tradition in many families and a proven environmentally friendly choice. But like all agriculture sectors, Canadian Christmas tree farmers are facing the impacts of climate change on their growing operations.

Pests plague both the trees and farmers who work the land. Rising temperatures affect summer labour conditions, extreme storm events have triggered crop losses, and reduced snowfall in winter impacts families' experiences when selecting and bringing home their trees during the holiday season.

Tucked between Waterloo and Hamilton, Maple Ridge Acres is home to a herd of alpacas plus owner and farmer Frances Stewart. After years of caring for her animals, Stewart has teamed up with researchers in the Faculty of Environment to unlock surprising new possibilities for alpaca waste.

By 2040, 2 billion people living in cities are likely to be exposed to the impacts of climate change. It’s a reality that

The thrill of same-day delivery, binging Netflix or having food delivered straight to your door is satisfying and a perfect dopamine hit in the digital age. It is also a form of happiness rooted in consumerism, where convenience is everything. However, these quick fixes come at a cost: our deeper well-being and the collective health of society and the environment.

Traditionally, the faculties at Waterloo can seem quite siloed in terms of their organizational structure, but last year the faculties of Environment, Engineering and Math teamed up to break the mold. Together, they offered the first interdisciplinary undergraduate capstone project at the University of Waterloo.

Panama is considered a water-abundant nation, but last year a severe drought caused the Panama Canal to run out of fresh water. This crisis had critical consequences and forced officials to cut operations that disrupted worldwide shipping. The shortage underscored the complexities of water management in Panama during the age of climate change and raised important questions about water security that graduate students in the Faculty of Environment were looking to unpack.