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Sustainability Action Plan outlines Laurier’s environmental goals

Laurier is continuing its leadership in sustainability with the implementation of a five-year plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and embed sustainability into every aspect of campus life.

Laurier’s new Sustainability Action Plan offers a comprehensive outline of goals including reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 15 per cent by 2022, including electric vehicles in campus fleets and increasing access to local food on campus.

"Laurier is building on past progress with new goals in sustainable development," said Laurier President Deborah MacLatchy. "We are committed to making a positive impact on our campuses, in the regions where we operate and in our global community."

Children holding plants

Some key initiatives outlined in the plan:

  • Expand sustainable transportation through initiatives including an improved carpool program, bike share program and electric vehicle charging stations;
  • Increase local food purchasing, focus on plant-based meals and reduce food waste and packaging;
  • Prioritize planting and maintenance of pollinator-friendly plants and habitat to support wild bee populations;
  • Provide Indigenous students with sustainability learning opportunities;
  • Explore opportunities to use campuses as “living labs”;
  • Develop a fossil fuel free impact investing endowment fund available to university donors.

Laurier will also develop an ambitious Carbon Reduction Roadmap throughout 2019. Combined, the Sustainability Action Plan and Carbon Reduction Roadmap will outline Laurier’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and strategies to meet the university’s overarching sustainability goal: to reduce emissions by 40 per cent by 2030 and achieve a carbon neutral campus and sustainable energy resiliency by 2050.