The "Campus as a Living Lab" initiative is a unique platform that transforms our campus into a dynamic learning environment. It leverages the university’s physical and operational infrastructure as a testing ground for real-world, hands-on research, creating innovation solutions to local and global sustainability challenges. This initiative encourages students, faculty, and staff to collaborate on projects that address environmental, social, and economic challenges while enhancing the campus experience.
By embedding sustainability into our campus operations, we not only advance our commitment to a sustainable future but also provide our students with invaluable experiential learning opportunities. Through interdisciplinary projects, the "Campus as a Living Lab" initiative allows participants to:
- Apply Classroom Knowledge: Take theories and concepts learned in the classroom and apply them to tangible, real-world scenarios.
- Collaborate Across Disciplines: Improve on technical and team project skills with the opportunity to work with peers, faculty, and staff from various departments, and engagement with external partners to tackle complex challenges.
- Drive Innovation: Develop and test innovative solutions and pilot new technologies that could be scaled up or adapted beyond the campus.
- Support Sustainability Goals: Contribute directly to the University of Windsor’s sustainability objectives and help create a greener, more resilient campus.
This initiative encourages exploration and innovation across various domains, some may include but not limited to:
- Sustainable Energy Solutions: Projects that explore renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions on campus.
- Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health: Initiatives focused on enhancing and preserving the campus’s natural environment, including native species mapping, habitat restoration, and campus biodiversity assessments.
- Waste Management: Innovative approaches to reduce, reuse, and recycle campus waste, promoting a zero-waste culture.
- Emission Calculation and Reduction: Develop methodologies for calculating campus greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1, 2, and 3) and explore innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint.
- Water Conservation: Strategies for conserving water, reducing runoff, and enhancing the quality of campus water resources.
- Sustainable Transportation: Projects that promote alternative, low-carbon transportation options such as biking, walking, or electric vehicles.
- Community Engagement: Efforts that engage the campus and broader community in sustainability practices, education, and awareness campaigns.
The "Campus as a Living Lab" is in its early stages, and we are eager to partner with enthusiastic individuals and groups who want to contribute to this exciting initiative. Whether you are a student looking for a capstone project, a faculty member interested in integrating sustainability into your curriculum, or staff with an innovative idea to improve campus operations, we want to hear from you.
If you are interested in exploring opportunities to get involved, please fill out our Qualtrics form to express your interest and share your ideas.
Additional tips for embedding sustainability into curriculum