On November 25th, 2024, students, staff, and faculty from across the University of Waterloo joined us to celebrate our 11th annual Eco Summit. With recent social, economic, and environmental challenges arising on campus and around the globe, this year's summit focused on 'finding opportunity in complex times' as a way to inspire hope in the community.
The event began with a greeting from Eco Summit host, Mathew Thijssen, Director of Sustainability at the University. President Vivek Goel shared opening remarks with the crowd before inviting Vice-President, Administration and Finance Jacinda Reitsma to share some words and introduce the first panel.
Our student panel included Darren Baine (4A Biology, Bioinformatics - Founder of Young Eye Initiative), Kwaku Twum (PhD Candidate, School of Environment, Enterprise and Development - Co-Founder of Mapkot Technologies and Huts & Cities), and Chloe Sullivan (3B Environment, Resources and Sustainability - Co-Manager of UW Campus Compost). The panelists spoke on how students are able to make an impact on campus during their time at the University and how to balance the difficulties of student life and the drain of ever-growing global challenges with the need for action.
Our staff panel included Mike Iley (Assistant Director, Residence Facilities at Campus Housing), Nicole Pin (Registered Dietitian at Food Services), and Simon Glauser (Managing Director at Waterloo Climate Institute). This panel touched on how staff can find opportunities for sustainable solutions at a time where the University has a growing list of alternative priorities.
We were excited to invite 11 campus partners to Eco Summit to operate booths during the networking periods during this summit to interact with attendees and share their work in building a more sustainable campus. 4RepairKW, Campus Compost, Campus Housing, Climate Justice Ecosystem, the Ecology Lab, Food Services, Impact Alliance, the Water Institute, the Waterloo Climate Institute, the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics, and the Society for Ecological Restoration all took part in this networking event to share their mission and achievements.
Our Green Programs Coordinator, Alyssa Ford, and Communications & Engagement Manager, Alex Farley, handed out the 2024 Green Programs certifications to 6 Green Labs and 28 Green Offices. Additionally, Green Residence Ambassadors and Living Planet Leaders were recognized.
Director of Sustainability Mathew Thijssen was welcomed back to the stage to announce the launch of the Sustainability Office's new Sustainability Leadership Certificate, a co-curricular and self-guided certificate for students to receive recognition for their sustainability action on campus and around the community.
The program concluded with the release of the 2024 Environmental Sustainability Report, detailing key accomplishments this year in sustainability progress, and some closing remarks.
The Sustainability Office wishes to thank all the volunteers, panelists, and campus partner representatives who assisted in the planning and execution of this year's Eco Summit. We are proud of the progress that has been made towards sustainability and hope to continue the work to make the University of Waterloo a more sustainable campus.