Educational Programs
University of Waterloo works collaboratively with many community partners to share knowledge and information about key sustainability topics and challenges. These can come in the form of public events, lecture series, conferences, and facilitated discussions. Some examples of these include:
Envirothon
The Ecology Lab at the University of Waterloo works with the City of Kitchener to host the annual Ontario Envirothon. This team-based youth engagement program expands knowledge through friendly competition on key environmental issues.
Waterloo Institute Water Talks
The Water Institute hosts an ongoing series of Canadian and international experts to share knowledge on important local and global water issues. Previous talks have included topics such as flood hazards, the relationship between groundwater, food, and poverty, hydrogeology, public access to water, water economics, and more.
Science Outreach
The University of Waterloo's Faculty of Science provides numerous educational resources that teachers can connect directly to elementary and secondary school classes. With programming that includes topics such as biodiversity, water, energy, and climate change, volunteer students and educators from University of Waterloo support class activities that can raise and inspire scientific understanding of key sustainability topics.
TD Walter Bean Lecture Series
This longstanding lecture series for the community brings world-leading expertise to the University of Waterloo across a variety of sustainability topics. Hosted through the Faculty of Environment, these lectures have included engaging discussions on plastics, polar regions, fisheries, water management, just community building, sustainable cities, invasive species, extreme weather, and more.
WISE Public Lecture Series
The public lecture series hosted by the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy brings guest speakers from around the world to share perspectives on sustainable energy technology, policy, innovation, and markets. Previous lectures have included topics on the energy transition and climate change, clean hydrogen, energy affordability, and how electricity markets operate.
Partnerships
The University of Waterloo is proud to participate in the following community programs and initiatives:
ClimateActionWR
Waterloo students from the Faculty of Environment helped design the feasibility study that led into our local Climate Action Plan. As new actions and initiatives emerge under the plan, University of Waterloo professors, staff, and students are continuing their engagement.
Impact Network
Waterloo is an pledging organization on waste as part of the Impact Network, formerly known as the Regional Carbon Initiative (RCI). Run by Sustainable Waterloo Region, this member-based program helps organizations in Waterloo Region assess their environmental impact and set carbon, waste and water targets. The University joined in 2012 and is one of over 60 local organizations participating.
Energize
The Energize board game is a tool for middle and high school students to explore topics such as climate change, energy and Waterloo's transition towards a low-carbon future. Students will have the chance to improve their energy literacy, understand the complexity of climate change and decision-making for climate targets, and gain skills and resources to become local sustainability champions.
TravelWise
Waterloo is a member of TravelWise, a partnership between the Region of Waterloo and Sustainable Waterloo Region. This program provides services to help employees walk, cycle, carpool, and take transit to work, and best practices for employers. Waterloo joined TravelWise in 2012 and is one of approximately 28 local organizations participating.
UNFCCC Race to Zero
Along with 500 other global higher education institutions, Waterloo has committed ourselves to be Net-Zero by 2050. our commitment has not stopped there, check out our Shift:Neutral climate action plan to look how we hope to transform our campus.