Global Sustainability Hub

Undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Waterloo are working together to promote sustainability and solve sustainability challenges. Shown below, student led initiatives in sustainability include the Undergraduate Student created E-books, the Sustainability and Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship and the Graduate Student created Status on Sustainability Infosheets & Infographics.

Each year since 2020, as part of CIVE 230 – Engineering and Sustainable Development, undergraduate students are required to complete a deliverable for the sustainability project. This project enables students to explore sustainability challenges and solutions in various regions around the world. The results of these projects are compiled into E-Books that can be found on the Open Educational Resources (OER) Commons page, showcasing the students' work on global sustainability issues. Each of the four E-Books from 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 are pictured below.

Starting in 2023, the University of Waterloo partnered with Harvey Mudd College and the Turkstra Chair in Urban Design. The Sustainability and Social Engineering Fellowship aims to bring 3^rd year engineering students from around the world together to solve multiple sustainability projects.

In 2024, with the support of Andrew Farr, Commissioner of Public Works in Halton Region, and Douglas Wright, Engineer in Residence at the University of Waterloo, students from Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico), Harvey Mudd College (USA), Khalifa University (United Arab Emirates), and the University of Waterloo (Canada) are collaborating in Waterloo to explore the transition to a circular economy. Their focus is on ensuring that essential services such as water, wastewater, solid waste management, and transportation in Halton Region remain both environmentally and financially sustainable.

Through lectures delivered by various faculty members from the University of Waterloo and professionals from the public sector, students gain a comprehensive understanding of the region's infrastructure systems. Following the lectures, students are tasked with developing sustainable engineering solutions for Halton Region, culminating in a final presentation to regional officials.

Students prepared the posters below to present to Halton Region. Click on the links to download the posters.

Students prepared the posters below for the 2023 presentations to the City of London. Click on the links to download the posters.

Funded in part by the Sustainability Action Fund (SAF) at the University of Waterloo, graduate engineering students have created 7 peer reviewed sustainability infographic sheets on topics including: Air Quality, Building Adaptation, Building Performance, Building Systems & Materials, Energy, Transportation and Urban Infrastructure. Each sheet investigates a topic on a global, national (Canada), provincial (Ontario), municipal (Waterloo Region) and University level (University of Waterloo). Click on the links below to view or download the sheets.

The University of Waterloo has been working with many Engineers in Residence from various municipalities/regions/cities who have created books showcasing their municipalities/regions/cities work towards the Canadian Engineering Grand Challenges (CEGC). Click on the links below to view or download the books.