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

A blue square icon featuring a white silhouette of a person walking to the left. The background is a solid blue color, emphasizing the simple and minimalistic design of the walking figure.

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 UWATERLOO Bike Centre, featuring a bicycle wheel design. "UWATERLOO" is displayed above the wheel, "BIKE CENTRE" is in a blue banner across the middle, and "EST. 1995" is written below the 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 green circular logo contains two stylized leaves forming a circle with their tips touching. Below the circle, the letters "uWCC" are written in green, lowercase text.

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:

A circular logo with a green outer ring and blue inner background featuring a white depiction of Earth. The outer ring contains the text "Climate Students University of Waterloo" in black.

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 inside is depicted against 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:

Logo of Enactus University of Waterloo. The logo features a yellow abstract shape resembling a folded paper, positioned to the left of the word "enactus" written in lowercase gray letters. Below it, "University of Waterloo" is printed in smaller gray font.

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 logo features a light bulb with a jagged orange base and rays forming a sun around it. Inside the bulb is a green cogwheel encircling an abstract flame shape in the center. The design suggests the integration of energy, innovation, and technology.

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. The design features a light bulb with the world map inside it on the left and the organization's name in both English ("engineers without borders") and French ("ingénieurs sans frontières") on the right.

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:

An orange "X" brushstroke with bold black lettering that reads "Fossil Free UW" is centered on a white background.

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:

A circular logo with the words "IMPACT ALLIANCE" written around the outer edge. Inside the circle, there is a stylized globe icon with interconnected lines and colorful dots at the connection points.

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:

A circular logo with a dark blue border. Inside the border, white text reads "Midnight Sun Solar Car Team." The center features a faceted, bright orange circle resembling the sun.

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:

Logo of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) featuring the acronym "SER" in large blue letters, with "Society for Ecological Restoration" written below in smaller blue text. To the right is an abstract green design representing a plant or leaves.

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:

The image shows the logo for "GreenHouse," with "Green" in bold, yellow text and "House" in bold, green text. Below the main text, there's a tagline in smaller text that reads "programs solutions designs" in green.

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. The text "SDSN Canada" is in blue and green, with green and blue curved lines forming an abstract circular pattern to the left of the text.

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: