York University has received the prestigious Living Campus certification from World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada), which recognizes colleges and universities that demonstrate leadership and commitment in engaging their communities in conservation action and education.
The certification is a result of York's commitment to ensuring its campuses play an important role in tackling pressing environmental issues - through operations, research and experiential learning opportunities for students, connecting them with nature and empowering them to make a difference for local wildlife and their habitats.
"Our grounds team takes pride in our role as stewards for protecting and enhancing the natural environment on York's campuses," says Stewart Dankner, director of property management with Facilities Services. "Our efforts are making the campus a more livable, beautiful, and integral part of our community's ecosystem."
Among those efforts over the past decade is Facilities Services' significant efforts to "green" York University's campuses. This has been prioritized to support biodiversity on campus, ecosystems and animals, including a variety of pollinator species. For example, a pollinator habitat is currently being established to support specific pollinators that contribute to the ecosystem at the Keele Campus.
Most recently, to further align with the University's sustainability goals - and specifically, "Greening York University" - Facilities Services is enacting a new grass maintenance and naturalization strategy. Through this strategy, large pockets of natural spaces across the Keele and Glendon campuses will remain untouched, in an effort to naturalize or re-wild these spaces over time. In the spring of 2024, a new pollinator habitat was created on Chimneystack Road to foster a habitat for birds, bees and butterflies. The garden also has QR codes posted on signs, which reveal a new augmented reality experience.
The naturalization of these areas aims to restore native plant species, improve habitat for local wildlife and create green spaces for the community. These efforts align with York's broader goal of fostering environmental stewardship and promoting sustainable practices within the University in a way that has earned York numerous other recognitions over the past few years. Among them is being named a Best University for Commuters, having York's SDGs-in-the-Classroom-Toolkit named a finalist for a prestigious medal, being named among Canada's Greenest Employers for 12 years in a row and - most recently - receiving gold accreditation from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System. The WWF-Canada designation is the latest in a growing catalogue of sustainability accomplishment.
"Certified Living campuses shine as examples of how post-secondary institutions can play a meaningful role in restoring nature, advancing sustainability and cultivating the next wave of conservation professionals," says Mike Layton, York's chief sustainability officer. "We're delighted to honour York University as a certified Living Campus and congratulate the campus community on their collective achievement."
The announcement builds on several that have been made, alongside a number of events, on the occasion of York's Campus Sustainability Month throughout October. Among the initiatives throughout the month that can help further highlight York's green community are scheduled tree plantings at the Keele and Glendon campuses, as well as a month-long BioBlitz that asks volunteers to snapshot York's biodiversity through an app and geotag plants, animals and insects.
Students can also seize the momentum of the WWF-Canada certification by participating in the organization's Living Planet Leader certification program, which empowers them to become advocates for sustainability and equips them with the knowledge and skills needed to make a meaningful impact both on campus and within their communities.
For more information and to register, visit the Office of Sustainability website.
This story was originally featured in YFile, York University's community newsletter.
