Wilfrid Laurier University
EN-9: Community Partnerships

KW Urban Harvesters KW Urban Harvester’s initiative is to transform urban green spaces in the Kitchener/Waterloo Ontario area into anything sustainably edible. They seek to educate themselves and members of the community on how to grow food in urban settings, preserve the harvest, and save the seeds. Laurier hosts the plot of land and provides funding for the project through LSPIRG (Laurier Student's Public Interest Research Group). Patchwork Community Gardens Laurier's Northdale campus hosts a plot of land for Patchwork Community Gardens, an inclusive community gardening space that seeks to engage new immigrants, youth, families, or individuals seeking to learn/share gardening skills. Sustainable Waterloo Region Laurier is an active member of Sustainable Waterloo Region, participating in and providing venues for SWR conferences and workshops. Laurier is also held accountable for their greenhouse gas reduction through SWR as a Bronze Pledging Partner in achieving a 25% reduction. REEP Laurier's partnership with REEP (a non-profit organization empowering our community towards healthier homes and sustainable living) involves integrating their knowledge and resources into the campus' natural landscaping features and campus garden. House of Friendship Laurier donates old and no longer needed computers to House of Friendship, a charitable social service agency that serves over 42,000 women, men, youth and children living on low income. Habitat for Humanity Laurier houses its own Habitat for Humanity chapter run by undergraduate students who venture on a Reading Week project every year. Many fundraisers run by the chapter are run throughout the year to support this community organization, and many other campus clubs donate the proceeds of their events to the organization. Salvation Army Laurier Sustainability Council's annual 'Stuff Swap' and food and clothing drive collect new and used clothing items which are donated to a local Region of Waterloo Salvation Army. Ray of Hope Community Center Laurier Sustainability Council's 'Stuff Swap' and food and clothing drive collect non-perishable food items which are donated to Ray of Hope Community Center, which provides care and social-services for those struggling with crime, addiction or homelessness in Waterloo Region. Region of Waterloo Laurier has partnered with the Region of Waterloo on several sustainability initiatives in the collaboration of waste management and reorganization strategies. They have attended many fairs and sustainability events giving out green bins and blue boxes to students and educating on the importance of proper waste management techniques. The Region of Waterloo Water Division has also partnered with Laurier over the past two years to provide water efficiency kits to the Ecohawks and Sustainability Council for use during outreach events.

Laurier is a Pledging Partner with Sustainable Waterloo Region. Through this partnership we have pledged to reduce our GHGs by 25% over 10 years. SWR provides accounting tools and educational and networking opportunities for the whole Laurier community. Through this, we partner with other local organizations who are members to share resources. http://www.sustainablewaterlooregion.ca/our-programs/regional-carbon-initiative/

Laurier is a member of Waterloo Region's Climate Action Plan ICI Task force. We have been involved for 2 years in creating the plan that has recently been passed by the municipalities. Laurier will continue to play an active part in its implementation. The overall goal of the plan is to improve the health and livability of the Region through targeted GHG reductions from now until 2020. http://www.wlu.ca/news_update.php?grp_id=0&nws_id=11889