Addressing Canada’s big challenges requires creative solutions. As natural innovators, colleges and institutes can and must be key ecosystem partners. Through skills training to meet labour demand, mission-driven applied research, and community leadership, they drive practical solutions that make an impact at the local, regional, and national levels.
As the voice of the sector, CICan’s focus is on bringing together our members in ways that maximize our collective impact. And, as the urgency of climate change grows, that unified action is more important than ever.
Our work is directed across five key areas of impact – one of which is climate action. By empowering our members, we enable them to meet their full potential as leaders of innovative solutions to our climate challenges.
Case in point? Just this past year, through our work in ImpAct-Climate, we enabled ten colleges and institutes to transform their campuses into living sites for sustainability.
Campus Living Labs – Learning, Awareness, and Action
Campus Living Labs are creative projects that integrate applied research, teaching, campus operations, and community engagement—often incorporating Indigenous perspectives and approaches—to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide students and staff with hands-on experience in tackling climate challenges.
Whether anchored in community collaboration or addressing high-level operational change, the projects not only contribute to institutional climate objectives, but also serve as an important mechanism for raising climate awareness, giving students, staff, faculty, and community members the chance to see the impact of our actions first-hand and draw connections between our daily lives and our global communities.
Our new Campus Living Labs Report features 10 of these innovative projects showcasing their impact, key lessons learned, and offering inspiration for members looking to implement similar initiatives on their campuses.
Explore the new Campus Living Labs Report
Discover successful projects, gain insights from best practices, and find strategies to enhance sustainability efforts at your institution.
The Impact Doesn’t Stop There
Projects like these are examples of the real impact and reach of colleges and institutes in nearly every community across Canada. But we can’t stop there.
We’re committed to further advancing our sector’s efforts in climate action by collaboratively developing and implementing partnerships and initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of member institutions.
That includes things like advocating for increased federal funding for net-zero-related initiatives on campuses, investing in green infrastructure, supporting research, knowledge sharing, capacity building, as well as developing green skills programs and curricula to equip Canada’s workforce for the challenges ahead.
Access Tools and Resources from our ImpAct-Climate Program
Explore tools, training, and collaborative opportunities tailored to the needs of educators and staff at Canadian colleges and institutes. Find events, insights, success stories, and more. Visit the website.
The Path Forward
Canada’s colleges and institutes are more than educators; they are innovators and problem-solvers committed to building a better future. By enabling local solutions that support national climate goals, colleges and institutes are making substantial progress in reducing emissions.
In short, for meaningful impact towards Canada’s climate goals, action starts on campus.