March 22, 2023
As we count down to Earth Day, we are sharing stories about how McMaster is transforming our campus into a living laboratory for sustainability.
McMaster’s university-wide Sustainability Strategy aligns with its vision to advance human and societal health and well-being.
Achieving these goals means a continued collaboration with all partners across the university, and finding new ways to help our researchers and students tackle the most pressing challenges facing our communities and planet.
Below are just a few of the ways our staff, faculty and students are working to address sustainability challenges, on our campus, in our community and around the world.
Sustainability research at McMaster
Developing energy technology for a green future: Q&A with expert Drew Higgins
Looming climate goals and the swelling demand for renewable energy mean advancements in the creation and storage of low-carbon electricity are more critical than ever.
Climate change could lead to more fungal disease in humans, says expert
Warming temperatures, heavy rainfalls and rising sea levels caused by a changing climate could teach fungi to thrive in new environments, says Jianping Xu.
Human actions are turning climate-friendly peatlands into liabilities, with potentially devastating consequences, researchers warn.
Teaming up: 4 partnerships that focus on sustainability 
‘Soft’ chemical sprays, packaging solutions and more: Here are examples of McMaster researchers working with industry and academic partners to create a more sustainable world.
Filter that effectively clears ash, dissolvable debris from water after wildfires identified
The simple technology could be a faster and more affordable option for remote and marginalized communities recovering from major fires.
A star is corn: Researchers develop biodegradable mask material made of corn
A biodegradable mask that can comfortably protect its wearer without harming the environment is one step closer to reality, thanks to research at McMaster’s Centre of Excellence in Protective Equipment and Materials.
How Indigenous and western knowledge can work together to improve Six Nations water security
Dawn Martin-Hill is advocating for Indigenous knowledge to be used alongside western science to tackle water security issues in Six Nations of the Grand River.
Your used clothing donation may be doing more harm than good
In Ghana, clothing resale is big business. But it also carries big consequences — from perpetuating the institutional factors that drive it, to the environmental degradation it can cause.
Mapping of carbon stores by McMaster researchers helping guide national restoration priorities
Carbon mapping data developed by McMaster’s Remote Sensing Laboratory is helping policymakers make informed decisions as Canada tries to meet national and international restoration targets.
Making sustainable transportation a reality in our communities
From designing the future of inclusive transportation, to guiding consumer choices on electric vehicles, here’s how McMaster researchers are re-imagining the future of clean transportation.
Ontario municipalities not ready for climate migration boom: study
“People should be able to migrate to where there’s freshwater, and Canadians need to be ready to welcome people in from places that are under tremendous stress” — Gail Krantzberg
Power plant: McMaster teams up with energy industry leaders to tackle sustainable agriculture
A new partnership between McMaster and an integrated energy company has led to the development of a soft chemical spray with the potential to revolutionize the agriculture industry.
One industry’s waste is another’s green product
Marketing professor Ashish Pujari is part of a collaborative research team exploring innovation in sustainable food packaging to help companies move to a circular economy model.
Analysis: What you need to know for your next hybrid or electric vehicle purchase
A guide to understanding hybrid and electric vehicles as you decide which is best for your lifestyle from Gaoliang Fang, a postdoctoral fellow at the McMaster Automotive Resource Centre.
A sustainable campus
5 ways you can contribute to sustainability on campus
Every day, community members work to advance the principles of McMaster’s Sustainability Strategy here on campus. Here are 5 ways you can get involved.
Earth Day tree planting marks new phase for McMaster Carbon Sink Forest
The planting will help create a model of a carbon sink forest — a forest that stores more carbon than it releases.
McMaster continues to divest from fossil fuel investments
Fossil fuel companies now make up just 2.7 per cent of McMaster’s investment portfolio, down from 4.5 per cent in 2018.
Have your say in shaping the food system on McMaster’s campus
A new survey will help develop the Campus Food Charter which willidentify ways to foster food sovereignty — the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods.
New geothermal green energy system on campus
McMaster will heat its new campus greenhouse with emissions-free geothermal energy, and is exploring multiple locations on campus for future geothermal sites.
McMaster’s campus is on the road to net zero carbon emissions
McMaster’s Net Zero Carbon Roadmap was developed in 2020 as a pathway to net zero carbon emissions on campus.
Ask a McMaster expert: Net zero carbon campus
Engineering professor Jim Cotton, an expert on sustainable energy, answers questions about McMaster’s plans to achieve net zero carbon emissions on campus.
Student life
Science champion wins GradFlix competition
Emily Robson is the winner of this year’s GradFlix competition for her one-minute video on the amount of microplastics in freshwater mussels collected from the Grand River.
Zero Waste McMaster helps students live more sustainably
How a student group is helping others adopt small, accessible, low-waste lifestyle changes that can add up to a big difference.
Students planting trees by searching the web
A group of sustainability-focused students are encouraging the adoption of a search engine that helps fund reforestation projects.
Meet McMaster’s Community Fridge
The student-led initiative began as an idea for a project in a third-year undergraduate McMaster SUSTAIN course.
Sustainability students help McMaster buy better
McMaster’s Strategic Procurement team has partnered with students to help make purchases for the university that promote social and environmental good.
McMaster alumni
Finding opportunities in the search for energy solutions
McMaster graduate Sharolyn Mathieu Vettese (’76) shares how the great North American blackout of 2003 spurred her to launch a renewable energy company and start a lifelong search for green energy solutions.
Making the fashion industry more sustainable, one piece at a time
Winnie May Chan (’15 & ‘17) shares how her time at McMaster led her to a career at the intersection of innovation and sustainability in the textile and apparel sector.
Revolutionizing the world’s energy future
Martin Green (’74) has spent his career working to improve the efficiencies of solar cells. The engineer and McMaster grad shares his insights on the future of the industry.
