Wilfrid Laurier University
EN-10: Community Partnerships

Young City Growers is a grassroots initiative focused on creating urban agriculture opportunities for youth in the Waterloo Region. They provide urban youth and young adults with green-collar job opportunities; promoting knowledge and skills of sustainable farming, environmental stewardship, local food systems, and entrepreneurial skills in operating a CSA micro-urban farm, and build community capacity to address local food security and environmental issues. Laurier partners with YCG each growing season by hosting them on a a plot of land and provides in-kind labour and funding for the project through the sustainability office and grounds services. The partnership simultaneously supports all three dimensions of sustainability. Yes, underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable are populations engaged as equal partners in strategic planning, decision-making, implementation and review.

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. The partnership simultaneously supports all three dimensions of sustainability. Yes, underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners in strategic planning, decision-making, implementation and review.

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 in emissions by 2020. The partnership supports at least one, but not all three, dimensions of sustainability.

WWF Canada (ongoing) Along with a handful of other universities across GTA and southern ON, Laurier was chosen to pilot Living Planet at campus program. In 2017, launch of the Living Planet @ Campus program across all campuses. Aim of the program: elevate students’ understanding and contribution to the meaning and practice of sustainability and the protection of nature on campus and beyond; testing and evaluating strategies that increase and deepen the engagement with sustainability among students and other stakeholders. Living Planet Leader designation from WWF is an option for students who voluntarily undertake activities in daily sustainable choices/behaviours, volunteerism, & professional development. The partnership supports at least one, but not all three, dimensions of sustainability. Community Carshare (ongoing) Car Share Program: Community Carshare has partnered with Laurier to offer access to vehicles without the cost, hassle or pollution of owning your own. Community Carshare vehicle stations may be found in high-profile areas across the community and we have one car centrally located on Laurier’s Waterloo campus. The partnership simultaneously supports all three dimensions of sustainability Travelwise Member Laurier is a proud organizational member of the Region of Waterloo's TravelWise program. As such, all Laurier students, staff and faculty are able to access the private Laurier Carpool Network. Carpooling is one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to reduce your carbon footprint - and TravelWise makes this even easier! Using the online TravelWise Carpool tool, you can search for a carpool partner who's daily commute matches your own, and then connect with them online to see if it's a good fit before you decide to carpool. The partnership supports at least one, but not all three, dimensions of sustainability. Habitat for Humanity (ongoing) 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. The partnership supports at least one, but not all three, dimensions of sustainability.