The Sustainability Leadership Certificate, officially launched in November 2024, is gaining momentum across campus. This co-curricular certificate recognizes and encourages students in their sustainability efforts throughout all areas of life, including leadership, learning, personal action, and professional experiences. The certificate is intentionally flexible and student-driven. Delivered through a self-directed LEARN course, it allows students from all programs and years to engage with environmental sustainability in ways that align with their interests, values, and goals. To date, 323 students have enrolled in the program, with three certificates already awarded.
The certificate is awarded using a points-based system. To become a certified Sustainability Leader, students must complete at least 4 points in each of the 4 categories (leadership, learning, personal action, and professional experience) with a total of 20 points overall. A wide range of experiences count towards the certification, reflecting the many ways sustainability can be integrated into everyday life. These experiences include joining a sustainability-focused club, being a Green Volunteer with the Sustainability Office, participating in sustainability-related courses or class projects, setting personal sustainability goals, spending time in nature, and completing a sustainability-focused co-op or work placement, just to name a few!
The Sustainability Leadership Certificate has encouraged me to be a more active member on campus and in my community by investing more time in student initiatives I am passionate about and by finding new and creative ways to communicate sustainability issues with others.
Why participate in the Sustainability Leadership Certificate?
The certificate offers both personal and professional benefits:
- It enhances your resume and demonstrates a commitment to sustainability
- It provides formal recognition for sustainability actions and initiatives you are already involved in
- It creates opportunities to meet new people and expand your network
- It strengthens your green skills, defined by UNIDO as “the knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society” (Arthur, 2022).
Developing green skills is increasingly important in today’s job market. According to the 2025 LinkedIn Green Skills Report, individuals with green skills are hired at a rate 47% higher than the global average. The demand for workers with green skills far exceeds supply, with hiring rates growing nearly twice as fast as green skill development, which is sitting at 4.3%. Additionally, workers with green skills make up more than half of new hires in non “green” roles, highlighting how sustainability knowledge is quickly becoming a job requirement across all industries (LinkedIn Economic Graph, 2025).
In November 2025, one year after launching the certificate, the University recognized its first cohort of sustainability leaders at Eco Summit! The event provided an opportunity to celebrate student achievements and the collective progress and commitments being made toward a more sustainable future. Director of sustainability Mat Thijssen and President & Vice-Chancellor Vivek Goel were both present to recognize students who completed the certificate and acknowledge their contributions as sustainability leaders within the campus community.
One recent certificate recipient shared the following reflection on their experience:
“The Sustainability Leadership Certificate has encouraged me to be a more active member on campus and in my community by investing more time in student initiatives I am passionate about (i.e., volunteering with UW Campus Compost to promote waste diversion on campus) and by finding new and creative ways to communicate sustainability issues with others (i.e., using up old art supplies instead of buying new ones during a family paint night). While completing the Certificate, it was affirming to look back on all the sustainability actions I have taken throughout my academics, co-ops, and extra-curriculars and reflect on the positive changes I have helped to create. I am excited to have the Certificate included on my resume as a testament to my sustainability actions.”
-Chloe Sullivan
As interest in sustainability continues to grow, the Sustainability Leadership Certificate provides students with the motivation to turn their values into action. By recognizing the many ways students are already engaging with sustainability and helping them build green skills, the program supports students in making a positive impact on campus, in their communities, and beyond.