Vanier College Maintains Living Campus Certification with WWF-Canada

The WWF-Canada Living Campus certification was introduced by WWF-Canada in 2023 to recognize the efforts of educational institutions in fostering sustainability and environmental stewardship on campus. Vanier College has successfully met the rigorous criteria set by WWF-Canada, demonstrating its dedication to creating a more sustainable and ecologically responsible campus community.

 To achieve Living Campus certification, Vanier College implemented a range of biodiversity conservation and engagement activities throughout the 2024-2025 academic year. These efforts included planting more shrubs and native perennials on the Vanier campus, raising awareness about invasive species, and organizing the highly successful Spring 2025 Greater Montreal City Nature Challenge Bioblitz in which hundreds of students participated. During the 4-day bioblitz, participants made 2763 observations of 408 species on campus and 6103 observations of 874 species in the community. As well, the Sustainability Symposium held in April, hosted eight talks covering various subjects such as participatory science, nature observation and journaling, and Indigenous land stewardship in Kahnawa:ke and at Masko Cimakanic Aski. These actions reflect Vanier College’s commitment to biodiversity conservation and align with WWF-Canada’s mission to build a future where people and wildlife thrive together.

“WWF-Canada created the Living Campus certification to recognize colleges and universities that are doing an outstanding job of engaging their student and staff communities in conservation action and education,” says Elizabeth Hendriks, WWF-Canada's VP of Restoration and Regeneration.

 “Certified Living Campuses shine as examples of how post-secondary institutions can play a meaningful role in restoring nature, advancing sustainability and cultivating the next wave of conservation professionals. We’re delighted to honour Vanier College as a certified Living Campus and congratulate the campus community on their collective achievement.”

 “The wonderful news that Vanier College has once again been named a WWF-Canada Living Campus for the 2024-2025 academic year strengthens Vanier’s momentum to continue its efforts on campus and in the community to help reverse biodiversity loss. Our conservation activities have already had an impressive impact, increasing habitat protections on campus for endangered species and giving over 800 hundred students the chance to participate in activities and document the biodiversity around them. We are excited to continue this work in coming years, bolstered by WWF-Canada's inspiring community of practice,” said Katherine Collin, Vanier teacher, Sustainability Major Coordinator and head of the Campus Biodiversity Network.