Sustainability action on campus: UW ranks in the top three per cent of sustainable institutions

The University of Waterloo was recently identified as being in the top three per cent of sustainable institutions globally by the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Sustainability rankings. Placing 60th out of 1700 participating campuses is an incredible achievement for the university. Now that we are identified in the top three per cent, what does it mean for our sustainable future?  

“The QS Sustainability Ranking is relatively new, but we have seen our ranking improve from the 2024 results, from 68th overall to 60th overall. This was driven by increases in the Environmental Impact section of the ranking, where we moved from 113th to 96th, and the Social Impact section, where we moved from 57th to 27th,” said Mat Thijssen, Director of Sustainability at the UW Sustainability Office. 

Established in 2004, the QS World University Rankings publishes widely read rankings of institutions across a number of categories. The ranking for sustainable institutions measures sustainability across 50 environmental, social, and governance indicators. These include teaching, research, and operational practices. To achieve the sustainability ranking, UW was evaluated across three lenses in the category of environmental impact, where UW scored 74.5 in environmental sustainability, 73.8 in environmental education, and 98.1 in environmental research

“It is promising to see the university’s continued rise in rankings and its commitment to sustainability,” shared Lily Viggiano, senior project manager at GreenHouse, United College, UW. “Across campus, impactful initiatives — such as student-led movements, climate-action programs like Changemaker Labs, campus-wide Green Office programs, and strategic leadership at the top — demonstrate that meaningful change requires collaboration at every level.”

In February 2024, United College joined the Green Office program, which is one initiative introduced to campus by the Sustainability Office with the intention of building capacity for sustainable action throughout campus offices. United staff are “embracing this initiative as a catalyst for action on both personal and professional fronts,” Viggiano said. United’s Green Office was recognized with a silver designation by the Sustainability Office in November at the annual Sustainability Summit. “Sustainability challenges us not only to turn off the lights, but also to thoughtfully consider which light bulbs to choose. Every individual has a sphere of influence where they can make decisions, inspire change, and positively impact their environment,” Viggiano expressed. 

In 2017, the Sustainability Office established 27 sustainability focused objectives through UW’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy. Each year, they publish the Environmental Sustainability Report with updates on the progress and action towards their goals. Academics, operations, and engagement are the broader categories that include objectives towards teaching, research, climate change, waste, water, transportation, grounds, procurement, community and more. These objectives can be matched up to the various QS ranking indicators. 

“The QS Sustainability Ranking is a very positive recognition of the many efforts that are underway at Waterloo to advance sustainability, on the campus itself, and through our teaching and research. We are delighted to be recognized among the top institutions globally,” Thijssen said. 

There are nearly 500 courses related to environmental sustainability students can take at UW, which has the largest environment faculty in Canada with nine undergraduate programs. QS rankings consider environmental education at UW, looking at how both current students and alumni impact sustainability. 

“The Sustainability Office supports many areas of the campus in planning, implementation, and continuous improvement and measurement of our sustainability actions, which are captured in our public annual report. We work closely with Institutional Analysis and Planning to provide data and case studies or examples for several sections of this ranking.” Thijssen said. 

The Sustainability Office has been a part of the collaborative Accelerating Integration of Sustainability into the curriculum project, which works to gather student input about how sustainability can be included in all programs. As per the 2024 Environmental Sustainability Report, “Objective A1: By 2019, ensure undergraduate students from any program of study will have the opportunity to learn about sustainability in their courses” has been achieved. 

How do students feel about the way sustainability interacts with their degrees? The Waterloo Climate Institute held a student forum on Jan. 23 called “Climate Change in your Curriculum,” seeking input on what students would like to learn about climate change. Climate change is fundamentally related to sustainability, as shifting towards sustainable practices reduces negative effects of climate change. “Climate” is mentioned explicitly three times in the QS sustainability indicators, and 14 of the 17 indicators are closely related to climate change solutions. 

“Generally speaking, I think UW is sustainable. From my work with [the Student Climate Council], it’s clear that there’s programming in place that is working towards change. However, in my experience, often these programs are not made widely aware, limiting their success. I would love to see Climate Institute programming being more wide-spread — something we’re actively working towards,” said Charlotte Schwartz, a third-year geography and environmental management student and Student Climate Council undergraduate representative. 

“Outside of the faculty of environment, many students on campus do not have access to sustainability education. Presenting even an overview of environmental issues in diverse courses could have an amazing impact,” Schwartz said. 

Sustainability needs to be integrated across various disciplines. While often associated with the environment faculty, sustainability permeates all academic courses. The Green Labs program demonstrates the ability for on-campus labs and researchers to consider and work with sustainability in mind throughout research work. 

Two QS sustainability indicators, weighted at four per cent and five per cent, relate to alumni impacts. This demonstrates the continuity of sustainability learned from the UW ecosystem and carried into the workplace. Around 25,000 four-month co-op work terms are completed by UW undergraduate students each year. Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) at UW is committed to raising sustainability awareness during work experiences through their Sustainability Impact Framework. According to the 2022 Ontario Graduate Survey 96 per cent of UW co-op grads are employed six months after graduation. How many of these post-grad jobs are connected to sustainability?  

“As a faculty of environment alumna, I am very proud to see the university recognized for its sustainability initiatives and high-quality programming focused on environmental action,” Jenna Phillips, who now works as a policy analyst at Forest Products Association of Canada, said. “When people think of the University of Waterloo, their mind often jumps to computer science and engineering programs (which are great of course!). But I also think their minds should jump to the amazing sustainability offerings, including world-class faculty, social incubators, and the rich community of climate change makers that keep emerging from the school. Since graduating and moving from Waterloo, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at just how many people I’ve met doing amazing work in the field that once came from the University of Waterloo.” 

“This recognition in the QS Rankings is a long time coming; I hope it motivates the university to expand its offerings focused on innovation and problem-solving, while being accountable to keep improving its sustainability reputation,” Phillips shared. 

UW is on a continuing sustainability journey, with twenty-one of the objectives set in 2017 achieved as of 2025, and six objectives the campus is continuing to work towards. With QS ranking UW in the global top three per cent for sustainability, and this year marking the final stage of the 2017-2025 Environmental Sustainability Strategy on campus, what’s next? 

“We have many actions underway, including projects to reduce energy and greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen campus biodiversity, and support sustainable choices for students and employees,” Thijssen said. “Two current examples are the recent launch of the Sustainability Leadership Certificate, a co-curricular credential that any student on campus can complete as part of their academic journey at Waterloo, as well as the development of Waterloo’s first Sustainable Transportation Plan.” 

Another third-party system for evaluating sustainability progress, and a complement to the QS Sustainability Rating is the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS). UW recently received a gold rating from STARS, the second highest achievable rating. 

Continued student engagement and infrastructure planning are at the forefront of our campus’ future sustainable action plan. As students we can play an active role in contributing to the pursuit of sustainability on campus through campus systems, curriculum and commitments to environmental targets. 

UW is in the top three per cent of sustainable campuses worldwide. Let’s keep strengthening and growing our sustainable practices, looking for ways to incorporate sustainability into each area of our campus and daily lives. The future of sustainability starts today, and it is our sustainable future to create. 

Calls to Action 

1. Reflect on your personal connection to sustainability, asking: what does sustainability mean to me? How can I try to engage in more sustainable practices in my personal life? Who can I talk with about sustainability? 
2. Reflect on where you see or would like to see sustainability on campus, asking: what programs does the Sustainability Office run? How can students provide input on where sustainability should be integrated in curriculum or campus systems? What are the university’s commitments to net zero, sustainable waste management, responsible procurement and more? 
3. Get involved and bring sustainability with you: when you join a club on campus, share your ideas about sustainability, low waste practices and encourage discussion with others about why these considerations are needed. Take sustainability with you into your co-op jobs and the workplace by questioning employer sustainability plans and suggesting good sustainable practices. Join a sustainability focused club to learn more, attend sustainable campus events, share your voice, and become a leader of sustainability.