Our Pledge
Laurentian University has signed the global Nature Positive University Pledge, an initiative of the United Nations Environmental Programme and the University of Oxford. We're working alongside institutions worldwide to improve our relationship with the environment and help nature recover. It’s our responsibility to address the problems of biodiversity loss and climate change. By doing so, we can make a positive impact on the world and ensure a better future for ourselves and future generations.
One of our main goals is to protect and enhance watershed ecosystems to maintain clean water, now and forever.
Clean water, now and forever.
Initiatives
Laurentian University is working to protect our environment and preserve biodiversity through a variety of initiatives. Some examples include:
Water Protection and Monitoring
As part of our commitment to ensuring clean water now and forever, we are currently conducting tests on the University's "kidneys" to determine the amount of salt and nutrients that may be escaping into the drinking supply at Ramsey Lake. Our goal is to safeguard this invaluable water source.
Rainwater Garden
Members of the Ramsey Lake Stewardship Committee joined faculty, staff and students to plant a rain garden on campus. The rain garden helps keep pollutants from draining into the waterways and helps improve biodiversity.
United Nations Restoration Trail
The pine trees on this trail were planted during the 1995 International Mining and the Environment Conference that celebrated Laurentian’s contributions when Sudbury won the UN Local Honours award. The trail was dedicated by Dr. Jane Goodall and UN Ambassador as the United Nations Restoration Trail, as one of several celebrations of our contributions to the Decade For Ecosystem Restoration (2020-2030).
Recovery Garden
This garden in Founder’s Square features many of the plants the city used for restoration and is lined with limestone rocks, a key element in restoring soil and terrestrial biodiversity back in Sudbury.
Pollinator Garden
Established in 2022, the pollinator garden is located at the Vale Living With Lakes Centre to provide food and habitat to pollinators.
Student and Community Engagement
Laurentian University has an Environmental Sustainability Committee dedicated to promoting environmental awareness and success on campus. Past events include workshops, campus clean-up, climate march, etc.
Our Commitment
Ongoing Biodiversity Assessments
We are conducting bioassessments of the surrounding lakes and terrestrial landscape within the watershed. These assessments will help us understand our baseline so that we can set measurable targets and make a clear plan of action for how we can best protect and restore the nature around us.
See our 2023 report: The Past, Present, and Future of Lake Laurentian and its Watershed
Collaborative Agreement: Lake Laurentian Conservation Authority
Rather than the efforts being restricted to the University’s property line, the efforts can extend to the more natural lines of the watershed to protect a large portion of the drainage basin for Ramsey Lake, which is our shared drinking water supply.
Model Forest
The Nature Positive team are mapping Beppi Forest in front of the student residence to become Laurentian's Model Forest. In this tiny 0.6 ha forest we plan to quantify the good work of forests: producing O2, sequestering C, cooling the climate, enhancing biodiversity, etc. This data will help students understand and better appreciate the value of trees and forests.
Get Involved
Are you interested in helping Laurentian preserve nature?