Telfer School of Management and the SDC challenge convention with third edition at U of O
Throughout the week of March 3 to 7, the University of Ottawa took part in SDG Week Canada, a nationwide initiative that promotes engagement with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The event was put on by the Telfer School of Management in partnership with the Centre for Sustainable Impact and Innovation for Development (CSIID) and the Sustainable Development Centre (SDC). Over the week, the U of O hosted a variety of interactive programs including panel discussions, hands-on sustainability workshops, and seminars tackling environmental and social issues both on and off-campus.
Growing Impact and Community Engagement
This year marks the third iteration of the event at Telfer, which has grown significantly from its humble beginnings within the faculty.
Under the leadership of professors Daina Mazutis and Sharon O’Sullivan, SDG Week 2025 featured an array of scientists, academics, farmers, public servants, and sustainability experts. The events highlighted initiatives ranging from local projects to multinational efforts, emphasizing community empowerment. Among these activities was a collaboration with one of the newest clubs on campus, the Upcycling Club — a testament to the dire need for sustainable solutions and how fast they can make an impact.
Sustainability in Action: The Penthouse Workshop
On Friday, students gathered in DMS 12102, known as the “Penthouse of the Campus” in the Telfer School of Management to participate in an unconventional sustainability workshop.
The Penthouse, which is typically reserved for academic and business events, boasts panoramic windows overlooking downtown Ottawa and the Rideau Canal. It was surprising to see the room occupied by the sound of nail guns, lumber scraps, and a couple of fire hoses. Students stood in circles, watching as their group mates nailed the fire hoses onto makeshift bed frames assembled from salvaged lumber.
“Every day [featured] a different overarching theme that encompassed like three to five of the SDGs,” explained Kenzie Whalen, the coordinator of UOSU’s Sustainable Development Centre. Friday’s theme was “Zero Waste, Zero Hunger.”
Bridging The Gaps on Campus
However, a recurring theme throughout SDG Week was the need for better communication and cohesion among the various sustainability initiatives on campus. Many students expressed surprise at the breadth of sustainability projects at the U of O, from CSIID, to the SDC, to courses in sustainable finance.
“There’s a lot of things being done, but you don’t hear about them by mistake, or you don’t necessarily hear about them until they’re gone or they’re done,” said Takwa Youssef, the incoming coordinator for next year’s SDG Week. Youssef says her comments reflect the common frustration students have expressed in regard to finding an outlet for their passions.
Professor Mazutis also emphasized that addressing sustainability requires collaboration across disciplines: “It’s not a single discipline that’s going to tackle this problem; we all have to tackle it together.”
SDG Week aims to bridge these gaps, providing a centralized hub for sustainability efforts where students from all faculties can connect and collaborate. This year, Professor Mazutis was proud to announce that the Government of Canada participated in the initiative, drawing around 200 students to a booth at FSS as part of the “Healthy Planet, Healthy People” theme on Monday.
The Economic Case for Sustainability and National Participation
Now more than ever, Professor Mazutis says that there needs to be a concentrated effort on sustainable development. She sees recent moves by the United States, including its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, as an opportunity for the rest of the world to lead the charge.
“I think we’ve done a bad job in selling the business case for sustainability, and there is one. We have all the technology that we need to make everything zero waste and zero carbon, so it’s just a matter of selling that business case better… I’m all about money, like people sometimes think that I’m some sort of tree hugger. I’m not. I’m all about making as much money as you possibly can, just it’s how you make it that matters and there’s no reason why you can’t make it ethically, socially, environmentally sustainable, all of that makes you more money in the long run.”
Youssef echoed the professor’s comments saying, “You double down now more than ever. You need to do more of whatever you’ve been doing before. Do more of it right and just deliberately make sure to talk, work on, and push this agenda which is fighting for, you know, a sustainable future and reality.”
The University’s Sustainability Commitments & The Green Academy
In this light, Professor Mazutis and Youssef were excited to announce the upcoming launch of the Green Academy. While details are still being kept under wraps, they revealed that the new initiative will leverage additional funding from donors to enhance experiential learning in sustainability. The academy plans to infuse capstone courses with hands-on projects, hackathons, and interdisciplinary courses that benchmark global best practices— drawing inspiration from sustainability innovations in Europe and Scandinavia.
Beyond the events and announcements, SDG Week also served as a platform to highlight the U of O’s broader sustainability goals. According to the website, the university is aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, reduce the overall volume of waste on campus by 30 per cent by 2030, provide zero waste to landfills by 2050, and have 50 per cent of all departments on campus offering one CSL related to sustainability by 2025. Whalen says the SDC has been working hard to make sure the commitments are kept and both the university and student union are held accountable.
Get Involved
The organizers are keen to build on this year’s momentum and are calling on students to get involved. If you are interested in volunteering to help organize SDG Week, possibly extending into an SDG Month next year, please email any inquiries to Takwa Youssef at: tyoussef@uottawa.ca
- Editor’s Note: This article was updated at 11:00 a.m. on April 9 to better reflect the role that the Sustainable Development Centre played in the role of SDG Week. The SDC, which operates independently under UOSU, coordinated outreach, secured key partners, and managed over 40 volunteers. The SDC is responsible for holding both UOSU and the U of O to the “highest standards” of environmental sustainability and climate justice.
