SUSTAINABILITY

Commitment & Principles

U of T Sustainability principles and what it has formally committed to: 

Core principles

Regenerative sustainability  

Pursue net positive outcomes that increase both human and environmental well-being, not just reduce harm.  

Integration of operational & academic sustainability 

A “whole-institution” approach that embeds sustainability across teaching, research, partnerships, and campus operations. 

(These two principles also anchor CECCS’s organizational framework.) 

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University commitments & actions

  • Climate Positive by 2050 (all three campuses). St. George has a fully costed plan (including Canada’s largest urban geoexchange system); UTM and UTSC have aligned commitments.  
  • Fossil-fuel divestment & net-zero endowment. UTAM will divest from fossil-fuel companies by 2030 or sooner, target net-zero portfolio emissions by 2050, and allocate 10% of the endowment to sustainable/low-carbon investments by 2025.  
  • Campus as a Living Lab (CLL). Use U of T’s campuses as testbeds where students, faculty, staff, and partners co-develop real-world sustainability solutions.  
  • Tri-campus climate-positive commitment. The university’s official position to become climate positive institution wide.  
  • Operational programs & policies (examples): social & sustainable procurement; carbon reduction fund; university-based carbon projects to offset business air travel; scope-3 emissions work; staff sustainability training.  
  • Governance and coordination. The President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability (CECCS) guides U of T’s integrated strategy and major initiatives. 
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