UTM’s Third Annual Progress Report: Fostering a Culture of Sustainability
UTM’s third annual progress report continues to make significant progress to implement the 102 targets outlined in the 10-year Sustainability Strategic Plan, showcasing the university’s steadfast effort to foster a culture of sustainability. Highlighted in this report are UTM’s STARS Gold rating, the Climate Positive Plan, and the bi-annual STTPA conference.
As a refresher, the Sustainability Strategic Plan has five pillars: Academic Programs and Curriculum; Research; Campus Engagement; Civic Engagement; and Human Resources & Infrastructure. Each pillar has a set of goals, actions and timelines attributed to them, which guide the sustainability work amongst all teams on campus. Additionally, each goal is tied to The Sustainability, Tracking & Assessment Rating System (STARS), which is a global sustainability framework for higher education.
Within the Progress Report timeframe, UTM achieved STARS Gold, a massive undertaking that took just under a year to gather all the data for the submission. Also, UTM released its new strategy on climate, the Climate Positive Plan, which outlines how the campus will consume, distribute, and produce energy more sustainably and efficiently to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. UTM hosted the bi-annual Sustainability: Transdisciplinary Theory, Practice, and Action (STTPA) Conference Oct 11-13th 2023, bringing together voices from various disciplines across the globe.
UTM continues to engage with the campus community, and broader Peel region as well. UTM hosted a Climate Positive Plan Workshop gathering about 50 students, staff, and faculty to learn more about the Climate Positive Plan. Additionally, the 5th annual Sustainability Week was celebrated mid-March around the theme “Bridging the Gap”, with a goal to bring together students from all disciplines. Lastly, UTM hosted many sustainability tours, most notably, a study tour for ICLEI’s Livable Cities Forum hosted in Mississauga September 2023.
With three successful progress reports, UTM’s sustainability initiatives are gaining momentum and widespread support from the campus community. The university is well on its way to achieving the targets outlined in the Sustainability Strategic Plan and is committed to continued progress in creating a more sustainable campus and world.
To explore the full details of UTM’s sustainability journey, the complete progress report is available to download.
