Student Services

Sustainability

Sustainability matters at Innis. We’ve been rolling up our sleeves and doing the work since the 70s, when our college founded U of T’s Environmental Studies Program. Even our college colour is green! But our commitment to a more restorative relationship with the natural world goes much deeper.

Whether you are an avid green thumb, a food security advocate, or looking to minimize your own ecological footprint, Innis’s ever-growing Sustainability portfolio, led by our steward, Cedar MacTavish, has something for you.

The Innis sustainability steward can connect your passion with hands-on opportunities

Cedar MacTavish

Sustainability Steward

I work to build on the College’s legacy by expanding the range of sustainability principles and practices across the Innis community. I facilitate sustainability-focused events and advocate for sustainable solutions, spaces, and opportunities at Innis.

Our participatory framework for sustainability

From climate action to human wellbeing, sustainability is a multi-faceted and evolving concept. Here at Innis, we organize our efforts into five themes, or priorities. Explore opportunities to engage with these themes by using the dropdown menu below.

We commit to reducing our individual and collective ecological footprints by reducing material waste through effective identification, prevention, and diversion practices.

We aim to bring sustainability education to your academic and co-curricular settings, with an emphasis on experience-based learning and preparing you to be an active agent for change.

In line with climate action recommendations, we commit to continually monitoring and reducing the CO2 emissions we generate directly through our own infrastructure and operations, and indirectly through our external connections and influences.

Through outreach and collaboration, we strive to connect our local sustainability action to knowledge, initiatives, and leaders found across the U of T landscape, and beyond. When we widen our perspective and form external partnerships, we also raise Innis’s public sustainability profile.

We commit to a model of sustainability that is ecological and social. By pushing our efforts beyond mitigating negative impacts or neutralizing carbon footprints, we can actively restore relationships between human and natural worlds, and empower the participation of whole communities.

Get in touch

Reach out to Cedar MacTavish if you want to get involved or have an idea to make our college even greener.

I am interested in...

Volunteer as an Innis Sustainability Advocate

Join the team of Innis Sustainability Advocates (ISAs) to support the operations and growth of the Innis Sustainability portfolio. It’s hands-on learning about college-level sustainability initiatives that earns you CCR recognition.

Get certified through the Sustainable Change Program

Showcase your commitment to a sustainable lifestyle by participating in the “Sustainable Students” certificate program, offered collaboratively by U of T’s Sustainability Office and Facilities & Services. Earn your badge by filling out a form that asks about your personal sustainability habits.

Keep local ecosystems clean with the U of T Trash Team

Join the students, researchers, volunteers and staff who form this science-based community outreach organization, where everyone works toward the common goals of increasing waste literacy while reducing plastic pollution.

Get free stuff from the Free Store

You read that correctly! U of T has a volunteer-run warehouse of donated items that are free for you to pick up, including books, furniture, clothing, kitchenware and school supplies. They also welcome your donations of unwanted items in good condition. Bring your TCard to the Borden Building South at 487 Spadina Crescent.

Learn about urban agriculture with Toronto Urban Growers (TUG)

Get involved with TUG, a diverse and inclusive network of farmers, gardeners, businesses, organizations, and institutions committed to expanding sustainable urban agriculture and healthy food across the GTA.

Earn your Sustainability Pathways Certificate

Complement your current undergraduate degree with a sustainability-focused learning program offered by U of T’s School of the Environment. It is an accessible academic entry point into sustainability community, scholarship, and leadership — no matter what your major may be.

Find an alumni mentor in the sustainability sector

Join the Innis Alumni Mentorship Program to get individually matched with an alum who works in a sustainability-related field. From environmental science to activism, you could have a dedicated mentor to help inspire and map out your potential career paths.

Borrow from the Kitchen Tool Library

If you live at Innis Residence and are in quick need of a certain pot, pan, whisk or spatula, look no further than the library of cooking and baking utensils and equipment. There’s a range of high-quality tools for you to loan, all available during ICSS office hours.

Grab a snack at the Innis Community Pantry

Courtesy of the ICSS sustainability portfolio, our community pantry is regularly stocked with treats and non-perishable foodstuffs that are FREE for Innis students. The pantry is open during ICSS office hours.

Relax on the Laura Murphy Green Roof Terrace

Opening in early 2027, our green terrace is a tranquil open-air space on top of the College. Not only can you study and socialize surrounded by garden boxes and lattice-climbing plants, but you can also volunteer to maintain this green infrastructure. An adjacent sedum roof brings more climatic benefits to the rooftop.

Come out to the Innis Community Gardens

Join the community of students and staff volunteers who tend to our college gardens, which include raised-planter food gardens and ground-level native pollinators. You can help with regular maintenance or seasonal events and earn CCR credit in the process.

Join the ICSS Sustainability portfolio

As a sustainability director on the Innis College Student Society (ICSS), you can develop and implement sustainability-centric events and resources — like the Innis Community Pantry and Kitchen Tools Library, hold weekly office hours, and be a key advocate on ICSS council.

Garden with Dig In! Campus Agriculture

Get some dirt under your nails and support sustainable food production by volunteering with agriculture projects across St. George campus. There is a network of small-scale gardens rooted in various colleges, groups, and departments, and they can always use a helping hand.