Academics, Research and Innovation
Supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
In April 2024, TMU launched its new United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) microsite, serving as a centralized hub that brings together information about initiatives, research and projects at TMU that align with the UN’s 17 SDGs. This site provides a snapshot of efforts being taken by community members in the areas of academics, research and community engagement that help advance the UN’s global call to protect the planet we all call home.
Assessing our community’s baseline sustainability knowledge and behaviours
In September 2023, the Sustainability Office conducted a baseline Sustainability Literacy and Culture Assessment to better understand the current sustainability knowledge, behaviors and attitudes of members of TMU’s campus community. With over 1,000 responses, the assessment will inform how TMU tailors future engagement programming and initiatives for the university community, ensuring that sustainability efforts are aligned with the needs and interests of students, faculty and staff.
Organized by PhD students from the Environmental Applied Science and Management Program, the EnSciMan PhD Symposium 2024: Empowering Tomorrow: Building Climate Resilience with Generation Green highlighted the importance of youth engagement in climate action. Led by PhD student Bryant Serre, the symposium focused on bridging diverse experience in climate research and policy, with sessions exploring the role of Indigenous, Black and female voices in climate action, as well as strategies for empowering youth participation. The symposium brought together students across academic curricula and welcomed experts from TMU, the University of Toronto, Rainforest Reliance and other sectors to foster meaningful dialogue and collaboration.
Students design zero carbon solutions to transform on-campus housing
On February 20-21, 2024, 14 TMU students participated in the Centre for Urban Energy’s Clean Energy Zone’s Zero Carbon Challenge. The challenge tasked students with designing sustainable solutions to help TMU meet its net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2045 goal, with a particular focus on student housing.
The winning proposal included innovative solutions like installing solar panels, triple-glazed windows and other energy-efficient modifications designed to reduce carbon emissions by 50% and building heat loss by 20-40%. These measures would lead to energy use reduction by 30-50%.
UN Sustainable Development Goals related to these initiatives
