From Ideas to Impact: The 2026 Laurier Sustainability Exchange

On January 22^nd, 2026, the Sustainability Office hosted the first annual Laurier Sustainability Exchange, bringing together staff, faculty, students, and community partners for a collaborative event focused on advancing sustainability across campus. The exchange created space to celebrate progress, share practical tools and initiatives, and explore how sustainability is embedded across Laurier’s academic, operational, and community work.

Celebrating Sustainability Progress at Laurier

The first half of the event focused on showcasing sustainability success stories, impact, and resources. The resource and case study presentations included Sustainability at Laurier Background, Northdale Community Garden, the Region of Waterloo’s TravelWise Program, My Green Lab, and the Freestore. Together, these examples highlighted the interconnected “web” of sustainability at Laurier and the collective effort required to drive impact.

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"Today’s event was a great interactive experience between our students, staff and faculty. This exchange showcased the depth of sustainability programming available like TravelWise, Northdale Garden, and the Freestore, while also illustrating success stories such as the My Green Lab program. We appreciate the collective input towards our preliminary zero waste vision and action plan through their engagement in the Zero Waste Challenge piloted today!" - Eric Meliton, manager, Sustainability Office

Recognizing Green Office Achievements

The exchange also celebrated accomplishments through Laurier’s Green Office Program, which supports staff and faculty in embedding sustainability into their everyday work. New Green Office certificates were awarded at the bronze, silver, and gold levels, recognizing departments for their commitment to reducing environmental impact and fostering a culture of sustainability across campus. In total, eight offices were recognized at this event by achieving a designation level. Notably, the ninth office to join the program will be the Milton Campus as they embed sustainability into their campus expansion.

Shaping Laurier’s Zero Waste Future

A central feature of the event was an interactive Zero Waste feedback session, where attendees provided early input to help shape Laurier’s first Zero Waste Action Plan. Through a hands-on activity, participants explored waste reduction strategies and priorities, contributing ideas that will inform the university’s long-term vision for a zero-waste future by 2040. This piloted activity will be reviewed and adapted to apply to various audiences across Laurier over the next year.

Building Connections and Momentum

The Laurier Sustainability Exchange reinforced the importance of collaboration, shared learning, and community engagement in advancing sustainability goals. By bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise, the event set the foundation for continued dialogue, partnership, and action across the Laurier community.

The Sustainability Office looks forward to building more opportunities to engage and collaborate with the Laurier community in 2026!