From the Provost’s Desk (May 2025)

Sustainability at U of T

One of the many things we can be proud of at U of T is our action on sustainability. Under President Gertler’s leadership, we have made incredible gains in positioning the University of Toronto as a pioneer of sustainability, resulting in the recent announcement of a $60 million gift from Brian and Joannah Lawson to establish the Lawson Climate Institute (more on this later). In fact, we lead the QS sustainability rankings as the most sustainable university in the world.

Last year we completed the ambitious Landmark Project, which aside from beautifying front campus, resulted in the installation of Canada’s largest urban geoexchange field. Effectively a giant thermal battery, the system will help heat and cool the buildings that surround it – pushing U of T towards its goal of achieving a climate positive St. George campus by 2050.

Sustainability at U of T is more than energy goals and emissions, however. Along with our commitment to climate positivity, we are dedicated to furthering sustainability in teaching and research – areas where you, as faculty members, can be crucially involved.

In 2017, President Gertler established the President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability (CECCS). In the 8+ years since, the President’s leadership and CECCS’s work has been transformative, leading to significant tri-campus action towards sustainability.

Among the programs that the CECCS has championed is the Campus as a Living Lab (CLL) initiative. A direct way for students, faculty members, librarians, and staff to get involved in sustainability, CLL allows students to participate in research and experiential learning through projects that address real-world sustainability concerns on our campuses. Students and faculty members can also work with external partners on projects that develop sustainability in organizational operations. To date, we have had more than 500 CLL and experiential learning projects. These initiatives are a great opportunity for us to implement homegrown sustainable solutions that are developed on our own campuses rather than importing externally sourced products and services.

Another flagship CECCS initiative is the campus-wide Sustainability Pathways Program. Through courses and activities, students earn designations that are recorded on their co-curricular records or official transcripts. Students are recognized as Sustainability Citizens, Scholars, or Leaders through an integrative framework of co-curricular activities, academic learning, and culminating leadership endeavours. The program encourages students to add sustainability content to their studies, and gain exposure and expertise across a range of disciplines. To support students, the CECCS maintains inventories of undergraduate courses and graduate programs – several of which fall within the School of the Environment – that focus on one or more of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since establishing the Sustainability Pathways Program, we have had over 900 Sustainability Scholars enrolled across eight programs in five divisions. Also of note are the Sustainability Catalyst internships, which offer paid summer opportunities for graduate students to work on real-world sustainability solutions across the GTA.

We have also invested in several Institutional Strategic Initiatives (ISIs) that contribute to sustainability at U of T and beyond. Among these is the interdisciplinary SDGs@UofT ISI – home to a Scholars Academy of fellows and associates from across the divisions, student awards and training programs, a community of practice, and the Catalyst and Synthesis grant program for initiatives that address sustainable development challenges across the SDGs. The Climate Positive Energy (CPE) ISI is a hub for interdisciplinary research on clean energy that is developing social, scientific, technical, economic, and policy solutions to transform energy systems, access, and production in Canada. The CPE engages across the University to facilitate collaborative research, build partnerships, promote knowledge translation, and provide training and funding opportunities for students and faculty. Other ISIs, such as the Mobility Network, the Data Sciences Institute, and the School of Cities, elevate sustainability in their respective areas, bringing depth and breadth to our research approach.

U of T’s demonstrated commitment to sustainability has led to significant philanthropic investment. The newly announced Lawson Climate Institute, which I mentioned earlier, will greatly accelerate climate and sustainability research and expertise here at U of T and internationally. The force of this new Institute will supercharge U of T’s existing initiatives, such as the Climate Positive Energy ISI’s Grid Modernization and Testing Centre, which is working to speed the integration of clean technologies into the energy grid to ensure Canada’s smooth transition to green energy.

The Lawson’s generous gift will allow the Institute to integrate with the new Lawson Centre for Sustainability at Trinity College by providing new opportunities for students and scholars. One point of intersection will be the planned rooftop farm for food production and education. Additionally, the Lawson Climate Institute will contribute to ongoing cross-disciplinary research through its support of three new Chairs in policy innovation, sustainable energy, and sustainable food systems, and its funding for a scholars program to build climate change capacity across a variety of industries.

At a time when climate science is under threat in other jurisdictions, we are proud of our sustained commitment to deepening understanding about climate change, our plan for divestment from fossil fuels, and our development of strategies for sustainability. In establishing the CECCS and prioritizing its activities, President Gertler signalled a clear direction for U of T and set us on a course to tackle head-on one of the defining issues of our time. The Lawson Climate Institute and the groundbreaking research that U of T contributes through the work of our brilliant faculty and students, as well as our many sustainability initiatives, are just one legacy of his leadership that will have an impact long after he leaves his role as President next month. I am excited to continue this work on sustainability and look forward to updating you on our successes.

I urge you to learn more about U of T’s sustainability efforts on each of our campuses through the Sustainability Offices at the St. George, UTM, and UTSC campuses, and through our institutional sustainability website.

All the best,
Trevor