People, planet, prosperity: Working together towards a sustainable future
Innovation Issue 35: Fall 2021
People, planet, prosperity: Working together towards a sustainable future
Message from the Vice-President, Research & Innovation
In this edition of Innovation, we highlight some of the pioneering work undertaken by Ryerson researchers that is helping to drive sustainable change. Collaboration is key to much of the research featured in these articles, demonstrating how strategic partnerships can contribute to developing sustainable social, physical and technological innovations.
Steven N. Liss, PhD
Vice-President, Research and Innovation
This publication is made possible, in part, with the support of the Research Support Fund.
Field of vision: Revitalizing brownfields sustainably
Across North America, industrial and commercial activity has left contaminated sites – such as old gas stations, factories or even defunct dry cleaners – sitting empty. Dwindling land supply in cities has property developers, planners and governments trying to reclaim and remediate these former industrial and commercial sites, which are called brownfields.
Powering sustainable transportation through regulatory change
E-bikes could help power a more sustainable transportation network in Toronto, but there are barriers to clear before government and other influential officials are comfortable and capable of paving a path towards more widespread use.
What drives sustainable change in Canadian trucking?
When it comes to greening the Canadian trucking industry, Ryerson researchers have found that competition to attract new drivers is what is helping to propel small and medium-sized companies towards sustainability, while anti-competitive activity is a barrier to progress.
Clean power, locally sourced
Imagine being able to buy and sell clean power directly from and to your neighbours. That’s the new paradigm being proposed by researchers at Ryerson University’s Centre for Urban Energy (CUE).
Nano-engineering better batteries
In today’s world, we rely on batteries and energy storage more than ever to power our daily lives. Between these demands and climate change, there is a need to develop reliable energy storage and conversion systems.
Supporting the efforts for a national environmental racism strategy with research
As momentum builds to address environmental racism in Canada, including coverage of the topic by mainstream media, a Ryerson professor is contributing ongoing research efforts to a national coalition that seeks to impact public policy about the issue.
Fermenting change: New treatment solutions for winery wastewater
The Niagara region is home to about half of Ontario’s wineries, and as winemakers harvest grapes and bottle their vintages each year, thousands of cubic metres of winery wastewater is created and hauled to local municipal wastewater treatment plants.
Space-age materials for building sustainability
Buildings, from homes to office towers, consume vast amounts of energy and produce significant carbon emissions. In 2018, The Atmospheric Fund estimates that in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, 42.8 per cent of emissions are from buildings (external link) .
Detecting contaminants in the Canadian Arctic
In the Canadian Arctic, researchers found high concentrations of a group of chemicals called organophosphate esters (OPEs) – frequently used as flame retardants or plasticizers, which make materials more flexible and softer – during yearly sampling.
Chronicling an era of nuclear waste in Port Hope
At the north end of Port Hope, Ontario, a vast mound – designed to eventually be seven storeys tall with an area footprint of roughly 70 hockey rinks – is being constructed and filled with radioactive soil that is contaminated with radium-226, uranium, thorium-230 and arsenic.
How the Canadian media reports on natural resource projects
The rise and fall of the now-cancelled Pacific NorthWest Liquefied Natural Gas project (LNG) made headlines in western Canada from the time it first entered the public’s awareness in 2013 until well after its cancellation in 2017 – but what you know about the project could depend on the news publication where you read about it.