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SDG 14 - Strategic Initiatives

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Outreach: Freshwater Ecosystems, Water Management, Overfishing

Western has several programs designed to educate and engage various audiences on the importance of water conservation, management, and overfishing for local and national community outreach.

• The Central Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research unites experts, researchers, NGOs, and stakeholders to tackle water quality issues. This event encouraged collaboration, knowledge sharing, and problem-solving, with attendees exploring the latest research and connecting with professionals and policymakers. Its interactive workshops provided strategies for improving and conserving water quality.
• STEM@Home: Water Cycle in a Bag is a free kit for kindergarten to grade 2 students that lets participants create a mini water cycle model through hands-on experiments. Educational videos and activities highlight the importance of freshwater ecosystems. The program invites families, schools, and community groups to get involved, promoting informed choices about water conservation.
• For SDG Week Canada, Western’s Centre for Research on Health Equity and Social Inclusion (CRHESI) hosted Life Below Water: A Virtual Dive Into Our Oceans, a free, public, virtual exploration of our oceans, featuring stunning imagery, expert insights, and discussions about marine conservation and sustainable ocean management.
• WaterAid Western is a club that engages students in discussions and activities related to clean water and sanitation issues, while raising awareness and funds on behalf of the organization WaterAid.
• Riverfest is an annual event hosted by the Indigenous Students’ Association, Indigenous Student Centre, and Western Sustainability, and is free for the whole community. The festival events are centered around indigenous perspectives on water management, viewing water as a living entity that requires respect, care, and a reciprocal relationship.
• The Water Management Under Changing Climate​ workshop is geared towards professional development for those engaged in climate change policymaking across all government levels.
• ​The Biodiversity Inventory at Western University invites all members of the community to help gather data for informing future conservation and environmental research activities.
• Peter Baker shares his knowledge of the causes and impacts of overfishing by explaining the science in layman’s terms in a public magazine article called A brief history of the Great Lakes lake trout collapse.
• The Western Centre for Animals on the Move hosts formal and informal events to share ideas, hold workshops, and brainstorm. Animal research includes Song Sparrows, Meadow Vole, Chinook Salmon, as well as many other fish, birds, insects, and mammals.
• The Master of Environment and Sustainability program teaches about sustainability, the SDGs, marine ecosystem health, and watershed management.
• In addition, Western upholds the Ontario Fishing Regulations, which provide guidelines on sustainable fishing practices. These regulations include restrictions on catch limits, seasons, and destructive fishing practices to protect fish habitats and ensure the sustainability of Canada’s marine resources for future generations. Western engages in initiatives like the Canadian Association for Food Law and Policy Conference, where students and faculty examine the interconnectedness of food systems. Topics covered at this conference were: regulation of new and emerging food technologies, freshwater fishing management, and governance of food security in northern and remote communities.

Maintain Biodiversity of Ecosystems

Western engages in research, industry, and local community collaboration to maintain and enhance ecosystems and biodiversity, including aquatic ecosystems and those under threat.

• Western’s local chapter of iNaturalist Canada, led by the Canadian Wildlife Federation, the Royal Ontario Museum, Parks Canada, and NatureServe Canada, focuses on identifying species on campus, particularly those at risk. The Thames River, running through campus, is home to various animals such as waterfowl, beavers, and the spiny softshell turtle, a species at risk.
• The Campus as a Living Lab project unites faculty, staff, community, and industry partners to protect biodiversity. Some key projects include:
  • The Bee Yard—studying honeybee dance communication; 
  • Vibratory communication among insects and spiders; 
  • Barn Swallow Breeding and Nesting Structure—providing suitable nest structures to support this species at risk; 
  • Research into the migratory behaviour of North American hoverflies; and 
  • Industry and research collaboration, studying the environmental impacts of road salt.
    

• The Sherwood Fox Arboretum is a collection of trees on campus, representing the biodiversity of the Carolinian Zone, including an old growth forest. In 2003, Western signed the International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation, prioritizing plant conservation. The Western University Tree Dashboard offers an interactive tour of the arboretum. A Tour of Select Trees in the Sherwood Fox Arboretum tells the story of their biological and historical importance.
• The WesternWater Centre collaborates with government, local municipalities, industrial partners, academic partners, and the local Indigenous community. The centre focuses on research leading to innovative solutions addressing all aspects related to clean water supply and water-environment issues, including the protection and management of water resources, resource recovery, and treatment technologies, to aid our aquatic ecosystems.
• The Great Lakes Futures Project is a collaboration of over 20 Canadian and American organizations working towards a socio-ecologically sustainable future for the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin. The assessments of climate change, the economy, biological and chemical contaminants, invasive species, demographics and societal values, governance and geopolitics, energy, and water quantity form the basis for driving international policy to protect our water resources and ecosystems.

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Water Standards

Western University adheres to stringent water quality standards and discharge guidelines to protect ecosystems, wildlife, and human health.

Our wastewater is directed via the sanitary sewer system to the Greenway Wastewater Treatment Plant. This ensures compliance with the  Ontario Water Management Quality Guidelines and the City of London’s Wastewater and Stormwater Bylaw. These guidelines are designed to safeguard all forms of aquatic life and their life cycles.

Western has implemented targeted measures to pre-treat greywater before it enters the utility’s sewer system, including the installation of sink grease traps in research laboratories. As a member of the Southern Ontario Water Consortium, Western collaborates with the City of London to demonstrate and validate innovative, near-market wastewater treatment technologies. Western has partnered with the Government of Ontario on wastewater monitoring initiatives to enhance environmental protection and public health. The WesternWater Centre conducts research on water and wastewater treatment.

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Marine and Water System Pollution 

Western University has policies in place to prevent and reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from land-based activities. This includes processes to prevent polluted water from entering the water system, including pollution caused by accidents and incidents at the university. 

Western University abides by federal, provincial, and municipal regulations, as well as our own policies, to protect water resources and prevent marine pollution. The Canadian Environmental Protection Act regulates the disposal of wastes into bodies of water. The Ontario Water Resources Act regulates water quality and prohibits the discharge of pollutants into Ontario’s waters. London’s Water By-law (W-8) prohibits non-potable water from entering the water distribution system, and the Waste Discharge By-law (WM-16) regulates and enforces waste disposal into the public sewage systems. 

Western’s Policy on Environment and Sustainability commits to promoting sustainability and reducing waste and hazardous materials. Comprehensive procedures are in place to prevent polluted water from entering the water system, including stringent protocols for handling and disposing of contaminated biowaste, emergency response plans for accidents, and regular safety audits to ensure compliance with environmental standards. Key policies include: 

• Contaminated Biological Waste Disposal Policy  
• Hazardous Chemical Waste Policy 
• Laboratory Health and Safety Manual 
• Hazardous Waste
  

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Minimize Alteration of Aquatic Ecosystems

Western University has a plan to minimize physical, chemical, and biological alterations of local ecosystems, including aquatic ecosystems. Located within the Thames River watershed, the Thames River and Medway Creek flow through Western’s campus. The university is committed to minimizing impacts on these local aquatic ecosystems through a continuously evolving set of practices, including:

• Western Open Space Strategy: Restricts development in the forested areas along the Thames River and Medway Creek to preserve biodiversity. 
• Campus Master Plan: Restricts development on floodplain regions in accordance with the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority regulations. 
• Hazardous Chemical Waste Policy: Prevents contamination of the local ecosystem.  
• Ontario Environment Assessment Process: New build sites are reviewed by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and denied if there are environmental concerns. 
• Waste Streams @ Western: Works to divert waste from landfills. 
• Green Spaces & Gardens: Maintained with native vegetation and invasive species management. 
• Disposable plastic water bottles: Not sold on campus. 
• Public sustainability commitments: Western is a signatory to regional, national, and international public sustainability commitments, including those related to aquatic ecosystems. 
• President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment and Sustainability: Includes broad representation from faculty, staff, and students with a mandate to design and execute a Climate & Sustainability Strategy, including a focus on grounds management & biodiversity. 
• Campus as a Living Lab: Protects environmentally significant areas and species at risk, and performs flood mitigation, all of which impact our aquatic environment. 
• WesternWater Centre: Leads innovative solutions to address water-environment issues, including the protection and management of water resources. 
• Faculty of Engineering: Focuses on water research, including studies on water resources, source water protection, water quality, and treatment technologies.  
• Urban Stormwater Research: Researchers are investigating the impacts of urban stormwater runoff on the watershed and developing low-impact development practices to reduce pollutant inputs to the Thames River.
  

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Watershed Management

Western’s campus is situated within the upper watershed of the Thames River. This watershed is managed by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA). Western contributes to this watershed management strategy through partnering with UTRCA on events such as a live staking project along the section of Medway Creek that runs through campus. Our Flood Response Plan includes working closely with UTRCA, implementing flood prevention measures, and ensuring no hazardous materials leak into the natural environment.

In the broader region, Western is located within the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin. Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks manages the strategy to protect this important watershed through the Clean Water Act, Ontario’s Great Lakes Strategy, the Canada-Ontario Great Lakes agreement, and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement. Western supports this strategy through the Great Lakes Futures Project whose research informs strategic policy formulation.

Western partners with the City of London to improve the water pollution prevention and control plan. The university is also listed as a key stakeholder in the city’s Adapting and Making London More Resilient Workplan, which prepares to adapt London to the increasing impacts of severe weather, particularly related to watershed-wide storm events. We work with the City of London to review the effectiveness of flood event response programs.

Western collaboratively works towards the health and diversity of aquatic species and the protection of the natural environment.

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Marine Technologies

Western researches and works directly with industries on technologies or practices that enable marine industry to minimize or prevent damage to aquatic ecosystems. 

• Surface Science Western: Works with many industries and clients to identify and analyze the physical and chemical properties of microplastics to understand how they affect ecosystems, with the goal of minimizing harm done to the environment. 
• Research for Subsurface Transport and Remediation: Conducts innovative research with national and international collaborations, and strong industrial partnerships, aimed at addressing the sustainable management of our water resources through the development of engineering technologies. Key research areas include soil and groundwater contamination and remediation, surface-groundwater interactions, and green roof technology. 
• Marine Biomass Innovation (MBI) Project: Works in partnership with Mi’kmaw communities and industry to develop sustainable, innovative, marine-based entrepreneurship opportunities and technologies through repurposing of marine biomass. 
• WesternWater Centre: Works with governments and industry on researching the impacts of climate change on our water resources to find innovative solutions addressing all aspects related to clean water supply and water-environment issues, including the protection and management of water resources, resource recovery, and treatment technologies. 

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Plastic Waste Reduction

Western is committed to reducing plastic waste on campus. 

• Eliminating plastic bottled water: As of January 2024, Western stopped selling plastic bottled water on campus at any university functions, vending machines, or by any on-campus restaurants or vendors. Free, accessible water is available across campus at more than 200 refill stations. 
• What Goes Where at Western: Western has multiple waste streams to divert as much as possible from landfills to recycling, re-use, and organics. 
• Snack Wrapper Recycling: A student initiative has placed snack wrapper recycling boxes in many buildings across campus, focusing on high-traffic areas where people often eat. 
• Compostable and recyclable containers: Hospitality Services have replaced conventional single-use plastic containers throughout campus operations. 
• Straws, stir sticks, bags, and cutlery: We have replaced plastic straws with paper ones, plastic stir sticks with wooden options, and plastic bags with paper alternatives. Compostable cutlery and to-go dishware are available in all residence dining halls and at our catering events, and all disposable hot beverage containers are routed to the “organics” stream. 

In addition, Western is producing innovative research on converting plastics to other usable materials: 

• Upcycling PET into Food: Professor Joshua Pearce conducts research on ways to harvest edible microbial protein powder from plastic-eating microorganisms to make food. 
• Fallona Family Interdisciplinary Science Award: Award winner Patricia Corcoran is a leading expert on microplastics pollution research, influencing disparate worlds of science and art with her discovery and depictions of human-caused pollution. 
• Hemp-based Biomaterial: Elizabeth Gillies has worked to develop a new biodegradable, hemp-based material that could serve as a sustainable substitute for plastic packaging needs for a wide variety of products. 
• Biodegradable Bioplastics: Rebecca Koshy, a fourth-year chemical and biochemical engineering student has pioneered an innovative solution to the plastic pollution problem by developing biodegradable bioplastics. 
• Tackling Plastic Waste: Next Generation Manufacturing (NGen) partnered with Ivey’s Innovation North to find solutions to plastic waste. NGen uses the information gleaned from the project to identify opportunities to secure supply chains, protect the environment, improve healthcare, support technology adoption, and facilitate digital transformations across Canada’s manufacturing sector. 

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Aquatic Ecosystem Health

Western University is located in the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin: the single largest watershed in the world. It ranges from Trois-Rivières, Québec to beyond the western point of Lake Superior. It contains more than 20% of the world’s supply of surface fresh water and about 84% of North America’s surface fresh water. 

Western monitors the health of the Great Lakes aquatic ecosystem as a member of the Great Lakes Futures Project. This collaboration of more than 20 Canadian and American organizations works towards a socio-ecologically sustainable future for the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin. The assessments of climate change, the economy, biological and chemical contaminants, invasive species, demographics and societal values, governance and geopolitics, energy, and water quantity form the basis for driving international policy to protect our water resources and ecosystems. 

Western University is located within the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin, the world’s largest freshwater system. Map source: Wikimedia Commons

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Good Stewardship

Western develops and supports programs that encourage good aquatic stewardship practices.

• WesternWater Centre: Collaborates with government, local municipalities, industrial partners, academic institutions, and Indigenous communities to address clean water supply and water-environment issues. WWC focuses on research leading to innovative solutions for the protection and management of water resources, resource recovery, and treatment technologies, providing expertise and real-life solutions to government organizations and the industrial sector. WWC shares knowledge through workshops, seminars, and conferences, bringing the latest technological achievements and novel insights to its partners and the public. 
• Central Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research: This symposium united experts, researchers, NGOs, and stakeholders to tackle water quality issues. This event encouraged collaboration, knowledge sharing, and problem-solving, with attendees exploring the latest research and connecting with professionals and policy-makers. Its interactive workshops provided strategies for improving and conserving water quality. 
• Riverfest: This is public, free annual event hosted by the Indigenous Students’ Association, Indigenous Student Centre, and Western Sustainability. The festival events are centered around indigenous perspectives on water management, viewing water as a living entity that requires respect, care, and a reciprocal relationship. 
• Ontario Water Consortium: Western collaborates with the City of London to demonstrate and validate innovative, near-market wastewater treatment technologies, promoting good aquatic stewardship practices. Additionally, Western has partnered with the Government of Ontario on wastewater monitoring initiatives to enhance environmental protection and public health. Our collaborative research focuses on sustainable water and wastewater treatment, contributing to the preservation and health of aquatic ecosystems. 
• RESTORE: Research for Subsurface Transport and Remediation collaborates with government agencies on sustainable water management technologies that reduce threats to aquatic ecosystems. One current project is tackling winter road salt, which is contaminating freshwaters all year round. 
• Global Water Brigades: An international movement of university students working alongside local communities and technicians to implement clean water systems in the developing world. The model systematically builds community ownership and collaboratively executes programs with the end goal of sustainably evolving to a relationship of impact monitoring. 
• Western Heads East: Established in underserviced areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, in collaboration with local NGOs, universities, and medical research institutes, one facet of the research examines local groundwater use, water capture, and recycling. These efforts aim to improve fish health and overall water quality and encourage environmentally conscious practices.