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Sustainable Campus Initiative
St. Thomas University recognizes its responsibility to contribute to a sustainable, resilient, and just future. Guided by our Environmental Sustainability Policy and Climate & Sustainability Action Plan 2025–2030, 91Å·ÃÀ¾«Æ· is taking action to reduce its environmental footprint, strengthen campus sustainability, and engage students, faculty, staff, and community partners in creating positive change.
In 2025, 91Å·ÃÀ¾«Æ· approved its first Climate & Sustainability Action Plan, establishing targets and actions for greenhouse gas emissions reduction, sustainable operations, waste reduction, biodiversity enhancement, sustainable procurement, and campus engagement through 2030.
Read the Climate & Sustainability Action Plan 2025–2030. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
Please share your feedback by emailing sustainability@stu.ca.
Measuring Our Progress
91Å·ÃÀ¾«Æ· is committed to transparency and accountability in sustainability performance. Progress toward Climate & Sustainability Action Plan goals will be monitored and reported regularly through sustainability audits and annual progress updates.
 Environmental Sustainability Policy
The Environmental Sustainability Policy, implemented in 2004, underscores St. Thomas University’s commitment to environmental management and stewardship. The most recent revision of this document was in May 2024. The Policy was updated to broaden 91Å·ÃÀ¾«Æ·'s approach to sustainability by integrating Indigenous knowledge, expanding focus areas, establishing clear implementation roles, and emphasizing transparency and community engagement, contrasting with the original Policy's narrower focus on compliance and basic environmental management.
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In 2024, the 2023 Campus Sustainability Audit was completed. This audit was designed to establish a baseline for common measures of environmental sustainability, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, waste diversion, and sustainability awareness. The audit is modelled on the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System . This is a voluntary self-reporting sustainability assessment in which results can be used to track sustainability over time at an institution. The results will provide data for the development of a mid-term climate action plan for 91Å·ÃÀ¾«Æ·. The sustainability audit was funded by the .
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You can read the full 2023/24 Sustainability Audit here: 2023-24 Sustainability Audit
 STARS Rating
91Å·ÃÀ¾«Æ· has earned a STARS Bronze rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education. 
91Å·ÃÀ¾«Æ·’s STARS report is publicly available on the STARS website: .
Get Involved
Building a sustainable campus requires participation from the entire university community.
91Å·ÃÀ¾«Æ· has three sorting streams for non-hazardous waste: paper recycling, returnables recycling, and garbage (landfill). Sort recyclables properly to avoid bin contamination. Putting non-recyclable items into the recycling bins can contaminate the whole bag, forcing it to be landfilled. Consult our Campus Waste Sorting Guide here.
91Å·ÃÀ¾«Æ· sustainability is a group of passionate students who are committed to being drivers of positive change. Their goal is to promote environmental awareness among their peers by leading and engaging the student body in sustainability initiatives on and off campus. For more information, please contact studentsforsustainability@stu.ca.
President’s Advisory Committee on Campus Environmental Issues
The purpose of this committee is to provide the president with timely and accurate advice on all matters regarding to the implementation and maintenance of environmentally sensitive choices in the management of the University’s physical resources. Read the Terms of Reference here. If you are interested in serving on the committee, please contact sustainability@stu.ca.
The St. Thomas Student Union Sustainability and Environmental Awareness Committee is a dedicated group of students committed to promoting sustainable practices and fostering environmental awareness within the university community. Please contact the 91Å·ÃÀ¾«Æ·SU VP Education at su_vped@stu.ca for more information.
FAUST Environment Committee
This committee brings together Faculty Association of the University of St. Thomas members who want to find ways of making our shared workplace healthier and more environmentally sustainable. Recognizing the important relationship between healthy working conditions, healthy communities, and a healthy environment, the committee highlights best practices and points to possible ways of moving forward. The committee recently shepherded through the option to adopt fossil fuel-free funds for pension plan members. For more information, please contact jharvey@stu.ca.
The Sustainability and Environmental Studies Program at 91Å·ÃÀ¾«Æ· is an interdisciplinary program with courses from several departments which explore the root causes of environmental degradation and how society can address them.
Learn More About the Sustainable Campus Initiative
If you would like to learn more about the Sustainable Campus Initiative, please contact our Sustainability Coordinator, Lauren MacDonald at lmacdonald@stu.ca.