Sustainability is a growing priority for universities all over the world. Many are developing strong operational sustainability goals and targets and are giving increasing emphasis to teaching and research on sustainability issues. The University of Toronto has committed at the executive level to integrating academic and operational sustainability in the context of treating their campus as a living laboratory of sustainable practice, research, and teaching. See the 2024-25 Annual Report of the President's Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability. Such living lab approaches offer a large potential for universities to play a significant role in the sustainability transition

This course will apply the campus as living lab (CLL) concept, in the context of operational and academic sustainability at the University of Toronto. We will begin by looking briefly at the literature on university sustainability and the living lab concept. The bulk of the course will involve undertaking an applied research project on some aspect of campus sustainability, working in close partnership with operational and/or academic staff at the University of Toronto. Students will develop the skills needed to produce information relevant to real-world problem-solving across disciplines and fields of study, and with non-academic partners.