On March 23, 2017 President Feridun Hamdullahpur approved Policy 53 - Environmental Sustainability, creating the University of Waterloo's first sustainability policy.
Developed by the President's Advisory Committee on Environmental Sustainability, Policy 53 is a foundation for further action across the campus. It articulates how actions to advance sustainability can be beneficial for the University, and outlines three major areas of relevance for Waterloo, including:
- Raising awareness of sustainability issues, such as through career-relevant learning, impactful research, and developing skills to live sustainably
- Ensuring the campus enacts practices to reduce the environmental footprint of its operations
- Engaging employees and students as important agents of change
Policy 53 also establishes 12 principles that the campus must work towards across each of these scope areas. These are divided into four core commitments that will catalyze further action, and eight guiding principles that will help point actions towards strong outcomes.
As such, Policy 53 is an important step in the campus sustainability journey, but it is not the destination. There is considerable work to be done. As is now required, the President's Advisory Committee will develop over the coming months the University's first Environmental Sustainability Strategy, with measurable objectives and tangible actions.
The full version of Policy 53 - Environmental Sustainability is available is available on the Secretariat website.