A new report by senior fellows of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at uOttawa, led by senior fellow Patricia Fuller, Canada's former ambassador for climate change, calls on the Canadian foreign ministry to fully integrate climate change into its diplomatic, trade and development activities.

The University of Ottawa Sustainable Cities Initiative will bring together a critical mass of experts, researchers and graduate students to undertake interdisciplinary, collaborative, solutions-oriented research that will help cities across the country and around the world become more sustainable.

On April 22, we celebrate Earth Day and highlight the importance—and urgency—of saving our planet. Since this is a good time to review what we currently do and what more we could do, the Gazette team met with the Office of Campus Sustainability to take stock of the progress the University has made in terms of sustainable development.

It’s all too easy to let a vexing sense of “eco-anxiety” creep into your life when each new scientific roundup about the state of the planet is grimmer than the one before. Massive wildfires, floods, and the accelerating pace of glacial melting routinely top news reports. The sheer scale of the climate crisis can feel overwhelming.

Professor Daina Mazutis received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Grant to study how certain urban construction and development companies around the world are tackling climate change by incorporating zero carbon emission and zero waste goals into their planning processes. Her research will help understand why and how these companies manage to prioritize climate change, and how others can contribute to more sustainable urban design and development.

For the first time, the University of Ottawa has been awarded a Gold rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education. 

Since the 1970s, recycling has been touted as one of the main solutions to waste accumulation and climate change. However, waste production in Canada has continued to grow year after year. As a resident of the City of Ottawa and a member of the Ottawa community, it is often difficult to determine the impact of one's waste sorting from a broader perspective. [French Only]

The University of Ottawa is following through on commitments to making environmental sustainability a core tenet of its long-term investment portfolio strategy by announcing that it will divest all its direct equity fossil fuel holdings by 2023 and all indirect holdings by 2030.

“We’re very excited to launch this new research chair. This will strengthen uOttawa’s ability to influence economic policies that deliver real-world solutions to the challenge of transitioning to a low-carbon economy,” says uOttawa president Jacques Frémont. 
The Foundation’s $2 million gift for the Jarislowsky Chair in Clean Economy and Innovation is the first major donation announced under uOttawa’s reIMAGINE campaign.  The University is matching the gift, contributing $2 million as part of uOttawa’s overall commitment to mitigate climate change.