Our Nature Positive University (NPU) is committed to protecting, restoring, and celebrating biodiversity while fostering global leadership in finding environmental solutions. As a recognized NPU, Laurentian University joins a network of over 730 institutions across 106 countries working collectively to address the climate and biodiversity crises, enhance student engagement, and strengthen institutional reputation.
Our Community Garden Project at the Vale Living with Lakes Centre aims to reduce food insecurity and provide fresh produce to students, helping them save on grocery costs. The garden offers designated plots, tools, and starter plants, fostering a sense of community and well-being. It also honours Indigenous cultural practices by incorporating sacred plants and Anishinaabemowin signage. This initiative supports sustainability, cultural awareness, and student engagement.
Our team is dedicated to supporting the Laurentian Greenspace with five key objectives in mind: protecting its values, supporting education and research, enhancing the campus experience and recreation, promoting a healthy community, and preserving cultural heritage. We work to ensure the greenspace remains a vital resource for the university and the community, focusing on its ecological health and connectivity. By addressing the pressures on these values, we implement policies and strategies for sustainable use and conservation, in partnership with Conservation Sudbury, who provides expertise and resources.
Our Birdstrike Elimination Project aims to prevent bird collisions with windows on the Laurentian University campus. By implementing strategies such as bird-safe glass, window films, window art, and adjusting bird feeder placement, we aim to significantly reduce these incidents. Through research and expert collaboration, we are working towards creating a safer environment for birds while enhancing the sustainability of our campus.
Our Biodiversity Monitoring Projects at Laurentian University focus on documenting and tracking the health of local ecosystems to support biodiversity conservation. By establishing a Biodiversity Baseline, we create a starting point to measure progress and identify key actions for improving biodiversity. Through research and collaboration with the community, we aim to contribute to biodiversity protection and ecosystem health on campus. Our goal is to achieve a biodiversity net gain by 2030, aligning with the Mayor’s challenge to protect 30% of lands and waters within the municipal boundary by that year.
In the Laurentian Greenspace, invasive species mapping is a vital part of our conservation efforts. We are actively tracking the spread of species like Scots pine and Phragmites to better understand their impact on native ecosystems and guide effective management strategies. This data-driven approach helps protect biodiversity and maintain the ecological health of the Greenspace.
Supporting pollinators is a key focus of our ecological stewardship in the Laurentian Greenspace. We've established a vibrant pollinator garden outside the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, filled with native flowering plants to provide vital habitat and food sources for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. In addition, we've built and installed bee hotels throughout the area to support solitary native bees and enhance pollinator diversity. In collaboration with Dr Mateus Pepinelli, environmental DNA (eDNA) will be analyzed from the bee hotel collections to better understand the diversity and presence of pollinator species in the Greater Sudbury Area.
Youth outreach is an important part of our mission to foster environmental awareness and stewardship in the next generation. We’ve partnered with local high schools on hands-on projects like iNaturalist bioblitzes and building bee hotels, giving students the chance to engage directly with nature and contribute to real-world conservation efforts. We’re always looking to collaborate with educators—if your class is interested in getting involved, reach out to us at environment@laurentian.ca to explore partnership opportunities!
Throughout the year we lead guided hikes along the Language Trail, connecting language, land, and learning through outdoor experiences. We also engage globally by participating in UNFCCC COP events and contribute to the University by guest lectures that share our insights on sustainability.
Spotted a dead bird on campus? Your observations can make a difference in protecting wildlife! As part of our Bird Safe Initiative, we’re working to make Laurentian University safer for birds by installing bird-friendly windows. If you spot a dead bird, please take a quick photo and share the location with us. Your contribution helps us track patterns and take action.