NEWS RELEASE
April 22, 2025
OUSA releases policy paper titled “Environmental Sustainability”
TORONTO - The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) is proud to release the second policy paper approved by OUSA’s Fall 2024 General Assembly, Environmental Sustainability. The paper was written, approved, and published by students with the purpose of providing recommendations for advancing environmental sustainability at post-secondary institutions.
“Climate change is here, and the impacts are being felt across the globe in different volumes just as well affecting students. It is crucial we take strategic and creative solutions through all policy decisions to address this urgent crisis,” said Dreyden George, Commissioner of External Affairs at Queen’s Alma Matter Society. “The present day and forecasted outcomes of not achieving environmental sustainability, create significant need to mitigate impacts to the students experience and ability to access education."
Students are increasingly concerned about post-secondary institutions' role in climate change. There is an overreliance on unsustainable energy sources with many institutions continuing to have significant investments in the fossil fuel industry. This paper addresses student’s concerns about lack of greenspaces, inaccessible eco-friendly transportation, improper waste management, barriers to resource procurement, inadequate sustainability education, lack of institutional sustainability policies, limited research initiatives, and an absence of strategic actions countering climate change.
Post-secondary institutions have the unique opportunity to be at the forefront of research initiatives and sustainable solutions. The proposed solutions towards campus wide sustainability can lead to positive environmental change. However, climate change action extends beyond the post-secondary sector as students outline ways the provincial government can support post-secondary institutions and broader climate change initiatives.
In response to these ongoing issues, students have outlined several recommendations that push forward climate action and increase awareness. These include divestment, expanding greenspaces, supporting eco-friendly transportation, improving waste management, incentivizing resource procurement, furthering sustainability education, expanding research initiatives, and regulating institutional sustainability policies.
“Environmental sustainability remains a top priority for students across the province. We are calling upon the provincial government to take meaningful steps to support institutions in improving their policies, physical environments, operations, research, and approach to education to foster a greener future,” said Maya Hobbs, Vice-President of Education at the McMaster University Students Union. “Prioritizing sustainability today means ensuring the continued success and relevance of our education system for generations to come.”
This policy paper and its recommendations were developed by students at OUSA’s member schools. It was passed on October 27th, 2024 during OUSA’s Fall General Assembly. To read it, click here: https://www.ousa.ca/policy_environmental_sustainability_24
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About: OUSA represents the interests of 160,000 professional and undergraduate, full-time and part-time university students at nine student associations across Ontario. Our vision is for an accessible, affordable, accountable, and high quality post-secondary education in Ontario.
Contact:
Tiffany Li Wu
Manager of Operations and Communications
Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance