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Help us create a more sustainable campus and community. Laurier offers many opportunities for students, staff, faculty and community members to get involved in creating a campus and community that is sustainably-minded.

Waste Reduction and Diversion

To align with Goal #5 of our Action Plan, Laurier offers several different waste reduction and diversion programs, including: organics, comingled recycling, e-waste, batteries, fluorescents and materials. Key programs include:

  • 40 cent reusable mug discount at any vendor on the Waterloo campus.
  • Friendlier resuable container program provides durable, reusable containers from participating campus locations which can be returned to designated bins for a full deposit refund.
  • Water-fill stations located across campus with digital counters that track the number of plastic bottles each location has diverted.
  • Freestore available to the Laurier community to pickup or donate a wide range of items including household decor, kitchenware, office supplies, and small appliances at no charge. 
  • Move Out Program provides students moving out of residence at the end of the school year an avenue to responsibly divert their items from landfill by circulating them back into the local community. 

Menstrual Equity

Laurier's Menstrual Equity initiative aims to provide people with the capacity for menstruation free menstrual care products in select gendered and gender-neutral washrooms across Laurier's campuses and locations.

Beginning in 2018, this initiative was created by LSPIRG, the Sustainability Office, Facilities and Asset Management, the Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, the Students' Union and the Graduate Students' Association with funding from the Student Affairs Advisory Committee. The initiative took root on campus in the winter semester of 2022 as a pilot.

This pilot included the installation of 14 coin-free dispeners, free menstrual care products, and disposal units in all Laurier's washrooms. Providing free menstrual care products addresses issues faced by the campus community such as period poverty, accessibility, and unpreparedness.

The program also aims to make menstrual care more environmentally friendly on campus. The Aunt Flow products distributed by Citron Hygiene are plastic-free and made from organic cotton. Waste from the disposal units is also collected by an external vendor and brought to a waste-to-energy facility, reducing waste going to landfill. 

In April 2023, the Sustainability Office took over the management and funding of the Menstrual Equity initiative under the direction of the Menstrual Equity Committee (MEC). The MEC is dedicated to increasing access to menstrual care products, providing education on sustainable and equitable practices, and raising awareness to end period stigma.

Alternative Transportation

To align with Goal #3 of our Action Plan, a variety of alternative transportation options are offered by Laurier and the Region of Waterloo to reduce the environmental impacts of commuting. Benefits available include:

Community Gardens

Laurier has a large community garden at the Northdale campus in Waterloo, located just north of the main campus. The garden hosts numerous community partners such as Young City Growers, KW Urban Harvester, the Indigenous Student Centre, Patchwork Community Gardens and more.

Pollinator Friendly

The Sustainability Office has been in partnership with other departments, clubs and offices at the Waterloo campus to raise awareness of the issue of pollinator decline. In 2019, Laurier recieved it's Bee Campus designation from Bee City Canada for our commitment to supporting pollinator habitats to increase biodiversity and start conversations with staff, faculty, and students. To align with Goal #7 of our Sustainability Action Plan, Laurier has installed pollinator gardens and a pollinator spiral on the Waterloo campus to support wild pollinating species (such as native bees and butterflies). We're taking steps to make the Waterloo campus friendlier to bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, hummingbirds, and other native pollinators. The Sustainability Office is actively pursuing Bee Campus designation at the Brantford campus which currently uses apiaries on top of One Market to educate the community on the importance of pollinators. 

Student, Staff, and Faculty Plots

Beginning in spring 2023, students, staff, and faculty will have the opportunity to apply for one of ten plots availble to grow their own food and plants. We strive to provide opportunities for the Laurier community to get involved in sustainability directly by cultivating the land in our community garden at Northdale to grow hyperlocal produce.

Fair Trade Campus

fair trade logoAs a Fair Trade designated campus, Laurier actively supports fairer conditions and better prices for people in the Global South who grow and make products – whether it is coffee, cocoa or cotton t-shirts. Being a Fair Trade campus supports the Laurier community in making choices that align with our personal values, and have a positive social and environmental impact.

two students standing beside a tree

Local Produce Cultivated with Laurier Love

Laurier's Sustainability Office is proud to partner with Laurier Grounds and Young City Growers to provide our community with hyperlocal organic produce.

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