Introducing TMU’s Sustainability Action Plan
Toronto Metropolitan University is pleased to launch its inaugural Sustainability Action Plan — a five-year plan to guide our climate-action efforts. We must take accountability as an institution and this plan will help us contribute towards a greener, more equitable and inclusive future.
The plan’s three long-term goals will help us do our part in the global shift to preserve and rehabilitate our environment and protect our continued wellbeing. This is our roadmap to make meaningful progress through a purposeful and unified approach.
In a three-week series of emails, we’ll outline the goals that will direct our activities, the areas where we can maximize our progress, the tools we have to support our efforts and our roles in shaping a sustainable future.
Three long-term goals to concentrate efforts
Over the next five years, our efforts will be concentrated on changing our behaviours, operations and systems to meet three long-term goals. These goals reflect the greatest benefits that we can achieve together in the short and long term.
1. Platinum STARS sustainability rating by 2035
STARS is an industry-specific scorecard that helps us benchmark our progress. It’s widely used by colleges and universities to track and monitor what works and where improvement is needed. Pursuing a Platinum rating will help keep us on track.
2. Zero-waste by 2035
Conscientious resource management can mitigate our ecological impact. We can reduce the energy, water and emissions required to produce, transport, recycle, compost or destroy the materials we acquire, use and no longer need.
3. Net-zero Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2045
We’re focusing on building energy efficiency and decarbonization of campus energy sources to reduce Scope 1 & 2 emissions and developing data-driven methods to measure and reduce Scope 3 emissions.
How the plan was developed
The goals and the strategy framework were developed from 2021 to 2023 and included comprehensive consultation and review with the university community and key operational stakeholders. Its goals were identified based on institutional values, community input, benchmarking data, best practices and global targets.
Twenty-one members from across the university came together to form the Climate Change and Sustainability Advisory Committee (CCSAC). The group helped fine-tune the plan and will monitor our progress to help us keep the momentum of concerted actions across the university.
Our roadmap to a greener, more inclusive future
The Sustainability Action Plan was built by the TMU community and designed for the TMU community.
The collaborative efforts make it truly reflective of the university’s unique identity and leverage our institution values to challenge the status quo and build a better world.
Together we can achieve our goals and make a difference!
Questions or concerns?
If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please contact Sharmilla Raj, sustainability manager, at sustainability@torontomu.ca.