One of the coolest — and most sustainable — schools around

What does it mean to be cool? If you ask Sierra Magazine, it’s not clothes, music or dance moves. It’s a deep commitment to sustainability, woven through teaching and learning, research, and campus engagement and operations. This year, UCalgary has been named in the top 20 in North America, demonstrating the vision the institution has for a more sustainable future.

With a record 282 submissions from institutions across North America, Sierra Magazine uses a customized scoring system to rank schools based on a number of criteria. Some of the key highlights for UCalgary’s top ranking included the new embedded undergraduate certificate in sustainability, the renewed 2019 Climate Action Plan, and ii’ taa’poh’to’p, the Indigenous Strategy that will guide us in transforming for years to come.

Reinforcing the recognition for UCalgary’s sustainability efforts, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) recently recognized UCalgary as well. The 2019 Sustainable Campus Index (SCI), saw UCalgary named as a top 10 overall performing institution among doctoral institutions. The SCI recognizes top performing schools overall, as well as by impact areas as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS). UCalgary was especially recognized in the areas of sustainability-related research, campus engagement, as well as co-ordination and planning.

“Both of these rankings confirm what we know on our campus — that we have a diverse and exceptional community of sustainability leaders across multiple disciplines and business units,” says Joanne Perdue, associate vice-president of sustainability. “People across our community are engaged and bringing their best to positively impact our collective future, and I am inspired by the body of work that lies behind these rankings.”

The Institutional Sustainability Strategy is our road map for continuous improvement and our pursuit of excellence in sustainability. Read more about it here and find out how you can help.