Environmental Sustainability Committee – 2025 Year in Review

(March 18, 2026) — At Laurentian University, caring for the environment is an important part of campus life supported by the dedicated work of the Environmental Sustainability Committee (ESC). Throughout 2025, the committee strengthened its role in campus sustainability, community engagement, and biodiversity conservation through research, outreach, and collaborative initiatives.

During the summer, the ESC conducted an invasive species survey covering 307 hectares of Laurentian property and five nearby lakes, mapping 1,431 hectares for invasive Phragmites australis (known as the common reed). Encouragingly, no invasive Phragmites were found on Laurentian property, highlighting the health of the campus ecosystem.

This work was completed in partnership with Conservation Sudbury and the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee. The committee also conducted forest plot mapping within the Laurentian Greenspace to support future ecosystem restoration in collaboration with Natural Resources Canada.

Working with over 100 students from Lockerby Composite School, the ESC installed 50 “Air Bee N Bees” and a “VIP” bee hotel at the Vale Living with Lakes Centre to support native pollinators. Educational signage along Loach’s Trail Through the iNaturalist campus biodiversity network, the Laurentian community recorded 826 observations, 385 species identified and 103 participants.

Laurentian ranked 9th out of 50 Canadian institutions in the campus biodiversity network.

Community outreach remained a key priority in 2025. The ESC hosted the Stewardship Youth Ranger Program, collaborated on educational hikes with the Rainbow Routes Association and Coalition for a Liveable Sudbury, and participated in the Nepahwin Lake Watershed Trout Release event.

Additional initiatives included building bat box and Little Free Libraries, and developed partnerships with the Doran Planetarium to host environmental programming that engaged more than 170 students and youth and over 120 community members.

The ESC maintained 16 plots in the Student Community Garden, planted five honorary degree trees, and installed five new boardwalks in the Laurentian Greenspace to improve accessibility while protecting sensitive habitats.

The committee also launched the Nature Positive Library Space initiative, celebrated Earth Day, and participated in several outreach events including the JCSC Festival, TGIF Craft Night, and the Laurentian Spring Open House.

As Laurentian works toward a net-zero campus by 2050, the ESC will continue to advance sustainability initiatives by expanding student engagement, strengthening digital outreach through the Nature Positive University Alliance, monitoring invasive species, and supporting biodiversity restoration.

Through research, education, and community collaboration, the Environmental Sustainability Committee continues to contribute to a healthier and more sustainable campus environment.