As the University of Windsor’s first-ever sustainability officer, Nadia Harduar will provide expertise and leadership in co-ordinating sustainability activities already underway across the campus and expand these efforts to bring the University into alignment with accepted best practices.

“Sustainability is core to the University of Windsor and a priority in the strategic planning process that is currently underway,” says acting provost Patti Weir. “This position was created to help advance our initiatives on the environmental, social, and economic fronts.”

Since joining the UWindsor staff, Harduar has been working closely with operations and academic leadership teams, external partners, and community members to enhance and expand campus sustainability.

She and School of the Environment professor Joel Gagnon, special advisor on sustainability to the provost, have been meeting with stakeholders to baseline current practices and develop a plan to embed a culture of sustainability across the University.

Other projects underway include:

• finalizing Windsor’s Fair Trade Campus designation;
• assessing compliance with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS);
• co-ordinating efforts to support development of a campus carbon neutral master plan;
• pursuing funding opportunities; and
• becoming active with the newly announced United Nations Regional Centre of Expertise for the promotion of Education for Sustainable Development, achieved through strategic partnership between UWindsor and Wayne State University.

Harduar invites those who have a sustainability project underway or would like ideas on how to incorporate sustainability into daily activities to reach out to her at Nadia.Harduar@uwindsor.ca.