Sustainability is all about consciously trying to reduce your impact on the Earth. This involves different things, as we all have different ways that we take ownership of making sustainable choices. From taking active transport to fighting for fossil fuel divestment to starting a socially responsible business, there’s no one “right” way to live and act sustainably. This directory highlights the many groups working to further sustainability on campus. You’ll notice that they come from a variety of angles and backgrounds, yet all work towards the same shared goal.

I hope that you will find this directory useful. If a group’s description piques your interest, I highly encourage you to get in touch with them!

Please reach out to the Services Manager at sspizzir@wusa.ca if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions

– WUSA Sustainability Commissioner

Silhouette of a person walking against a blue background.

Sustainable & International Development

AIESEC hosts workshops and brings students abroad to promote leadership and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Past / current campaigns:

  • 6 day fundraiser to donate to IJM for international women’s day that includes speakers, trivia night and a networking event
  • SDG Creative Magazine
  • Toastmasters x EntSoc x AIESEC workshop on communication in leadership and to promote the SDGs/sustainability

Get involved:

Logo of WUSA Bike Centre featuring a stylized bicycle wheel.

Active transportation

Located in SLC 0101, the Bike Centre is a Do-It-Yourself bike repair shop run by undergraduate students at UWaterloo. It provides tools, parts, and some know-how to help you keep your ride in tip-top shape.

Past / current campaigns:

  • DIY Workshop
  • Bike Rental
  • Bike Auctions

Get involved:

A logo with a stylized leaf design inside a circle above the green text "uWCC".

Waste

Campus Compost collects compostable materials from across campus through our composting program and processes it into compost for the community. We also advocate for waste reduction practices through online campaigns and in-person events.

Past / current campaigns:

  • Project Zero Waste: 1 day conference with workshops, guest speaker, boothing
  • ENVigorate and Earth Hour workshops
  • Online events such as trivia night and photo contests to engage students

Get involved:

Logo of Climate Students University of Waterloo, featuring an illustration of Earth in blue and white, encircled by a green border with the group’s name inscribed.

Climate Change

The mission of Climate Students is to facilitate interdisciplinary student enrichment, participation, research, and action on climate change throughout the University of Waterloo community, connecting global issues to a local context.

Past / current campaigns:

  • Climate Community Connections event, which was an opportunity for UW community members to be matched based on their climate interests.

Get involved:

A white outline of a lightbulb with a heart shape in the filament area on a teal background.

Sustainable & International Development

Effective Altruism discusses and promotes effective altruism, a movement dedicated to using evidence and reason to try to do the most good. This includes deciding between careers and causes to support.

Past / current campaigns:

  • One for the World pledge: commitment to donate 1% of income to cost-effective evidence-based charities helping people living in extreme poverty

Get involved:

Enactus University of Waterloo logo featuring a yellow geometric shape resembling a paper bird and the text "enactus University of Waterloo.

Social Entrepreneurship

Enactus Waterloo is a chapter of Enactus Canada. Enactus is focused on developing and running projects that drive positive social impact.

Past / current campaigns:

  • Young Founds Program: addressing the lack of financial literacy in youth PickWaste: focused on reducing environmental waste
  • FEMinSTEM: focusing on female empowerment in the STEM field
  • The Oddity: sustainable fashion brand
  • Link: a Discord server aiming to connect UW students by hosting events and providing mentorship/advice

Get involved:

A graphic with a sunburst surrounding a green gear, inside which is an orange and yellow flame. A stylized orange spiral extends downward from the flame.

Energy

As the UW Chapter of Student Energy, the Energy Network is a group of students bound together by a shared belief in a sustainable approach to the Energy Industry and Climate Change. UWEN offers the chance for like-minded students to attend educational seminars and panel discussions, participate in exciting competitions and network with industry professionals.

Past / current campaigns:

  • uwEnergyHacks, a 72 hour idea hackathon
  • Case studies to get students involved in thinking and solving problems related to energy and sustainability

Get involved:

Logo of Engineers Without Borders Canada, featuring a light bulb with a world map inside and the organization's name in English and French beside it.

Sustainable & International Development

EWB aims to address the most crucial causes of poverty and inequality by investing in people and ventures, and creating systems-change leaders.

Past / current campaigns:

  • Run to End Poverty
  • Meet my Monster
  • Water for the World
  • Dollar a Day
  • SDG Impact Challenge hackathon

Get involved:

Text "Fossil Free UW" written in black over an orange brushstroke X.

Divestment

Fossil Free UW facilitates learning, discussion, decision-making, and action to make our campus a climate justice leader. It works toward fossil fuel divestment as a first step in engaging the campus community to take ownership of decisions about funds and futures currently being made by others on behalf of students.

Past / current campaigns:

  • Organized various campaigns to promote divestment across campus and with the University’s Board of Governors.
  • Currently working with a committee assembled to look at creating a carbon neutral investment policy for campus.
  • Support UW’s Fridays for the Future movement and is working with RAISE and the Environment Students’ Society on the webinar “Climate Justice is Environmental Justice”, to broaden FFUW’s actions to address the full scope of what it means to be good climate justice advocates.

Get involved:

Logo of Impact Alliance featuring a circular emblem with interconnected multicolored dots forming a central design, surrounded by the words "Impact Alliance.

Sustainable & International Development

Impact Alliance aims to mobilize SDG knowledge and engagement opportunities among students and clubs across campus by delivering programming, digital content resources, and facilitating collaboration.

Past / current campaigns:

  • Social Media Campaigns: 17 Weeks for 17 Goals. Mini Series – Definition. “SDGs & Your Career”
  • UNCC eLearn Certification: “Climate Change: From Learning to Action”
  • Netflix Party – “Down To Earth with Zac Efron”
  • SDG Impact Challenge hackathon

Get involved:

Logo of the Midnight Sun Solar Car Team, featuring an orange geometric sun design within a black circular border with the team's name.

Automotive

Midnight Sun’s mission is to design and manufacture innovative solar vehicles that demonstrate the potential of renewable energy for a more sustainable future. In the summer of 2018, Midnight Sun competed at the American Solar Challenge and became the first-ever Canadian multi-occupant vehicle team to complete the ~3000km solar car race across the United States.

Past / current campaigns:

  • Constructed a total of 12 vehicles since 1988 and are currently designing and manufacturing a 13th vehicle, MS XIV.

Get involved:

The image shows the logo of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) featuring the acronym "SER" and the text "Society for Ecological Restoration" with green leaf accents.

Sustainable & International Development

SER connects students with the broader ecological restoration community through guest lectures, volunteer opportunities and student-led projects. SER has an interest in restoring and stewarding on-campus natural areas, including the UW Environmental Reserve.

Past / current campaigns:

  • Invasive species management in the UW Environmental Reserve
  • Planting projects and volunteering in the community with native plant gardening initiatives
  • Greenhouse workshop to help people learn how to grow native plants
  • Online seminars on ecological restoration
  • Winter tree identification contest

Get involved:

GreenHouse logo with "Green" in yellow text and "House" in green text, followed by the tagline "program solutions space.

Social Entrepreneurship

GreenHouse offers programs, opportunities, and a community for students to develop problem solving skills to form innovative ideas and make new forms of sustainable impacts around social or environmental change.

Past / current campaigns:

  • Workplace Innovation Program (WIP): 8 month program where student teams identify problems & design solutions for host organizations
  • Social Innovators In Training (SIIT): Students working with like minded innovators to create social / environmental ventures in a structured and supportive community
  • Social Impact Showcase: Termly Capstone event to celebrate program milestones and listen to Social Impact Fund pitches

Get involved:

Logo of SDSN Canada featuring stylized green and blue circular lines and the text "SDSN Canada".

Social e & International Development

SDSN mobilizes Canada’s universities and colleges for action on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Past / current campaigns:

  • Establishing youth SDG hubs on member campuses
  • Co-hosting a national all-of-society conference on the SDGs
  • Working on localizing the SDGs in municipalities

Get involved: