Students have played a big role in building a culture of sustainability at ÂéĥıAV.
They were the driving force behind the creation of the Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF), which provides seed funding for grassroots projects across our campuses. Supported through student fees and matching contributions by the University, the fund is the biggest of its kind in Canada, valued at $1 million annually.
Since its launch in 2009, the SPF has funded more than 300 projects led by students, staff and faculty. A few examples: the highly successful âÂéĥıAV Feeding ÂéĥıAVâ project, which supplies locally grown fruits and vegetables to campus residences; a âgreen labsâ initiative to reduce the environmental footprint of research labs; and a major program to cut down on waste and move the University closer to its goal of becoming zero-waste by 2035.
The ÂéĥıAV Office of Sustainability (MOOS) is a hub for all this activity. And here, too, students are key players. Undergraduate interns make up nearly half of MOOSâs staff. They help ensure all students have plenty of opportunities to contribute to the cause, in ways big and small.
Get involved
To help students connect with others in the ÂéĥıAV community, the Officeâs website includes an âengageâ section that provides information on student sustainability groups, workshops and training, and much more.
For former MOOS intern Geneva Yang (B.A. & Sc. â22), membership in student organizations has been a big part of her sustainability journey. âThe student groups at ÂéĥıAV are all so passionate about sustainability,â she says.
Geneva, who came to ÂéĥıAV from China, has been an active member of several groups, including the International Development Studies Student Association and ÂéĥıAV Students for UN Women. While those groups arenât focused specifically on the environment or sustainability, Geneva notes, âthey have integrated it into their structureâ by adopting sustainable practices and organizing sustainability-theme events.
At MOOS, Geneva created the ÂéĥıAV Undergraduate Sustainable Development Goals Guide. The guide lists undergrad courses, student groups and clubs, and ÂéĥıAV researchers working on topics related to the U.N.âs (SDGs). Itâs designed to help new students start exploring courses they might want to take and groups they might want to join.
ÂéĥıAV is home to more than 100 student groups that focus on sustainability or address one of the SDGs, ranging from urban agriculture and food security to clean energy and gender equity. Some of ÂéĥıAVâs student societies, including the Studentsâ Society of ÂéĥıAV (SSMU) and the Post-Graduate Studentsâ Society (PGSS), host their own sustainability committee.
Residence initiatives
MOOS intern Siobhan Mehrotra is a U4 student majoring in Environment and Development. âI always had an interest in sustainability in high school,â she says, but hadnât worked on sustainability projects as part of an organization. That changed when she got to ÂéĥıAV.
As a first-year student at ÂéĥıAV, Siobhan served on her residence council. The council also had had an environmental representative, who âwas the first one to take our hand and lead us through implementing sustainable initiatives like composting [in the residence hall],â Siobhan recalls. âNo one wanted to do it at first,â but residents soon embraced the practice, taking ownership over cleaning and managing the bins, and âwe all bonded really closely after that.â
As the MOOS intern coordinating the officeâs Sustainable Events and Workplace Certification program, Siobhan now works to help raise awareness of sustainable practices in ÂéĥıAV workplaces and reduce waste from campus events.
Different pathways
Former MOOS intern Clare Shuley (BA â22) also says her outlook on sustainability has evolved since she graduated from high school. âBeing around ÂéĥıAV has made me a lot more aware of the different pillars of sustainabilityâ â including the social-equity elements.
Clare supported MOOSâs student engagement programs, which include the Sustainability Ambassadors Program and the Student Sustainability Network.
Case competitions are another pathway to involvement for many students. Laurie Chan, for example, participated in a competition last year in which group members worked with an Indigenous community in British Columbia.
âI feel like itâs important to be interdisciplinary and (look toward) the intersection between the environment and everything else,â says Laurie, MOOSâs previous Sustainability Projects Fund intern and third-year student majoring in Sociology. âWe always talk about how the environment should be a very central focus in the things we do, but we all have our different passions and different things weâre good at.â
Talking about sustainability âis one of the most powerful tools you can use to think through a problem,â she adds. âThis exchange of ideas is where you will get innovative solutions to a lot of the different sustainability challenges we're facing.â
Whether or not you find yourself in a class or club related specifically to sustainability, âyou can always find that community of students to talk about it with,â Laurie says.
Making a difference
MOOS communications intern Maya Willard-Stepan recommends that students âbe really curious when you get here.â
Maya came to ÂéĥıAV expecting to study Physics and Music. Early on, âI started taking general-interest science courses and just started doing the math on how much time we have leftâ to curb climate change. âI decided I was in this position of privilege to be able to learn about these things and I really cared about them. So I decided that it was really important for me to be able to make a difference.â She shifted the focus of her studies, and now double majors in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Physics, with a minor in Environmental Science.
With its resources to help students get involved in sustainability in all kinds of ways, MOOS is a great hub for connecting with others who hope to make a difference.
âGo to activities night. Say âyesâ to opportunities,â Maya says. âMOOS is there for you as a student, so make sure youâre using it.â