Building a Sustainable Future
The University of Guelph remains committed to keeping sustainability central to its teaching, research, campus and community as it works toward achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040. This commitment is reflected in our dedication to transforming our campuses into living labs and our role as global leaders in sustainability and innovation. Our focus includes developing and promoting advanced solutions for sustainable practices and equipping future leaders to tackle global challenges.
Goals
- Transform our campuses into living labs as we work towards net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
- Be a global leader in sustainable agri-food systems, developing and promoting solutions and preparing the next generation of thought leaders.
- Align our resource allocation, planning and financial investments with the United Nation’s SDGs by 2030.
Action Plan
Sustainability is deeply woven into the fabric of the University of Guelph, shaping everything from our teaching and research to our operations and business practices. By engaging our entire community and leveraging our collective expertise, we will create a cohesive approach to addressing key sustainability priorities, ensuring that all areas of campus contribute to advancing our commitment to environmental stewardship, innovation, and global leadership.
Achievements
Sustainability Action Planning
The Net Zero Carbon Climate Action Plan Steering Committee is driving U of G’s strategic approach to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. Complementing this, the Zero-Carbon Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan is being developed to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. These initiatives are essential for transforming our campuses into living labs, demonstrating our commitment to sustainability and achieving a net-zero future.
OAC Research is Creating a More Sustainable Agri-Food System
National and international projects being co-led by Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) researchers aim to tackle climate-change related challenges in agri-food. One project looks at making crop production more sustainable by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the process. Led by Dr. Claudia Wagner-Riddle, a professor in the School of Environmental Sciences, the project team is looking at alternatives to conventional fertilizer whose ammonia base consists of hydrogen and nitrogen.
While nitrogen is vital for promoting growth and crop yields, making ammonia requires fossil fuels and releases greenhouse gases, notably nitrous oxide emitted from soils due to nitrogen fertilizer application. Dr. Wagner-Riddle’s research will help farmers achieve the federally mandated target for reducing nitrogen-related emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
Arboretum’s Gene Banks and Seed Orchard Contribute to Conservation
U of G’s Arboretum was one of the first institutions to establish a living gene bank dedicated to archiving known populations of rare woody plants native to Ontario. Today, over 30 species of rare woody plants are archived in the Arboretum’s grounds and gene banks. The living gene banks aim to reduce collection pressure on small surviving threatened and endangered wild populations, increasing the ability of those populations to naturally regenerate. Recently, the Arboretum has worked with several different conservation agencies in southwestern Ontario to form a Red Mulberry Working Group with the goal of recovering the endangered species. Only 200 to 300 of the small-medium-sized understory trees are left in the province and the species is threatened by hybridization by the non-native white mulberry. As a next step, the Arboretum is propagating pure red mulberry trees to establish a long-term seed orchard.