Sustainability is a priority for universities worldwide, including the University of Toronto. Many universities are developing operational sustainability goals in addition to placing emphasis on educating students about sustainability. For some concrete examples at U of T, see the 2020 Annual Report of the President's Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability (CECCS) of which this course falls under the 'Campus as a Living Lab' section. By bridging sustainability goals, sustainable research and education about sustainability, modern university campuses and operational contexts can be increasingly labelled living laboratories of sustainable practice. Such living lab approaches offer a potential for universities — and their students — to play a role in the transition to sustainable higher education.

This course will apply the living lab concept to operational sustainability concerns at the University of Toronto. We will begin by looking at the literature on university sustainability and the living laboratory concept. Most of the course will engage students in an applied research project on an aspect of campus sustainability while working in close cooperation with U of T staff. Students will develop the skills needed to present information relative to these real-world problems and develop proposed solutions integrating their own fields of study with new topics and practical, quotidian university concerns.