Article
was
originally
published
in
Waterloo's
Daily
Bulletin.
Waterloo’s
sixth
annual
Eco
Summit
took
place
on
November
20,
coinciding
with
the
release
of
the 2019
Environmental
Sustainability
Report.
The
theme,
Building
Hope,
was
interwoven
with
the
goals
of
the
Summit
to
connect
with
others,
celebrate
our
progress
and
be
inspired
to
go
further.
The
attendees
and
presenters
included
students,
faculty,
staff
and
community
members.
Sustainability
was
examined
from
both
a
strategic
vantage
point
and
through
the
local,
grassroots
actions
that
are
shifting
us
towards
a
greener
campus
culture.
James
Rush,
Vice-President
Academic
and
Provost,
provided
opening
comments
and
spoke
about
the
recently
released 2020-2025
Strategic
Plan,
which
includes strengthening
sustainable
and
diverse
communities as
one
of
its
three
major
themes.
Afterwards,
three
case
studies
that
are
changing
attitudes
and
making
our
campus
more
sustainable
were
presented
by
faculty,
staff
and
students.
James
Nugent,
a
lecturer
from
the
Faculty
of
Environment
presented
on
the
Diploma
in
Sustainability,
which
allows
students
to
learn
about
sustainability
no
matter
which
program
they’re
in. Giovanna
Zinken,
Associate
Director,
Environmental
Services
discussed
initiatives
in
place
that
will
divert
waste
from
landfill,
such
as
multi-stream
waste
receptacles
that
make
sorting
easier.
By
2025,
the
University
is
aiming
to
divert
at
least
60
per
cent
of
campus
waste
from
landfill.
The Shift
Zero initiative
aims
to
make
us
a
zero-waste
campus
by
2035,
diverting
90
per
cent
of
waste
from
landfill.
Three
students,
Farah-El
Shayeb,
Joanna
Gao,
and
Saad
Arif
Qadeer
presented
on
the Green
Residence
Ambassador
program,
an
initiative
that
allows
student
ambassadors
to
model
green
behavior
and
set
the
standard
for
their
peers.
An
anticipated
part
of
the
Summit
for
Waterloo
staff
is
the
Green
Office
Awards,
which
were
introduced
this
year
through
a
video
presentation
by
President
Feridun
Hamdullahpur.
The Green
Office
program empowers
bottom-up
action
from
departments
on
campus
and
awards
sustainable
achievements.
Since
its
launch
in
2016,
24 departments
have
been
awarded
either
bronze,
silver
or
gold
for
efforts
to
make
their
offices
greener,
and
over
45
departments
are
actively
participating
in
the
program.
Maggie
Chang,
a
student
in
Environment,
Resources
&
Sustainability
and
coordinator
for
the
Sustainable
Campus
Initiative,
was
also
awarded
one
of
the
first
ten
Living
Planet
Leader
designations
from
WWF
Canada.
Finally,
a
panel
discussion
moderated
by
Mat
Thijssen,
Sustainability
Manager,
wrapped
up
the
Summit.
Panel
members
included
Beth
Eden,
a
student
in
Environment
& Business;
Easton
Page,
WatPD
staff
with
Green
Office
gold
certification;
Nadine
Ibrahim,
a
lecturer
in
Civil
&
Environmental
Engineering;
and
Mary
Jane
Patterson,
Executive
Director
at Reep
Green
Solutions.
Discussion
topics
included
the
UN’s Sustainable
Development
Goals,
making
a
difference
locally
and
internationally,
and
the
rise
of
green
cities.
The
event
ended
with
a
vegetarian
lunch
and
a
call
to
action
for
those
in
attendance
to
take
things
further
and
model
the
sustainable
world
they
would
like
to
see.
