University College Students Raise Awareness of Environmental Issues with Sustainability Week

Last month, as the temperature outdoors plummeted and thermostats were cranked up around the City of Toronto, University College students were promoting energy and resource conservation as part of Sustainability Week.

The initiative, which ran from November 22 to 29, 2020, raised awareness among UC students about sustainability issues and best practices. Through activities such as a sustainability-themed trivia night and giveaways encouraging students to complete the Green Res certification, students learned strategies for being more environmentally friendly in their day-to-day lives both on and off campus.

The cause is close to the heart of Lauren Xu, a fourth-year student in physiology, physics, and statistics and a don in McCaul House in Sir Daniel Wilson Residence. “I am passionate about sustainability because of its relevance to everything we do. Sustainability helps make sure we not are being nearsighted in our development, whether it's economic, environmental, or social,” she says.

Philip Ding, a fourth-year student in molecular genetics and global health and the head don of Morrison Hall, agrees. “Sustainability describes our obligation to leave a world where future generations can thrive, which starts with protecting the health of our environment,” he says.

Together, Ding and Xu created a video for fellow residence dons about how to save paper by printing on the blank sides of previously used sheets—demonstrating how small changes to our habits can have a big environmental impact.

Sophia Fan, a fourth-year student in ecology and evolutionary biology, is the sustainability commissioner on the UC Literary & Athletic Society and co-chair of the UC Sustainability Committee. She aims to collaborate with groups on and off campus to get students involved in webinars, panels, and letter writing campaigns on topics such as climate justice and BIPOC perspectives on sustainability. “The definition of sustainability includes the preservation and protection of life—both human and non-human—and the very land on which we depend,” she says.

With five buildings at the centre of campus, more than 100 faculty and staff members and 5000 students, 700 of whom live in residence in a typical, non-Covid year, University College requires community participation in sustainability initiatives for these to succeed.  If the enthusiasm of students like Fan, Ding, and Xu is any indication, the UC community can expect more exciting initiatives like Sustainability Week in the months ahead.