Introducing the D2L Higher Education Sustainability Roundtable

D2L is excited to announce the launch of the new Higher Education Sustainability Roundtable.  

The field of sustainability is growing exponentially. While creating new avenues for collaboration, several aspects of this evolution are bringing new challenges to organizations globally. Increasing regulation, certifying bodies, evolving science, and the expansion of climate-related services and tools on the market can become overwhelming.  

In conversation with our customers, we have recognized a strong interest among sustainability professionals at higher education institutions across North America and Europe to connect more often, share best practices, celebrate successes, address challenges, and learn collaboratively.  

This is precisely the purpose of the D2L Higher Education Sustainability Roundtable (HE SRT). We are privileged to support learning institutions all over the world, and our aim with this Roundtable is to provide an opportunity to leverage our network to support leaders and operational managers as they conquer big questions in sustainability. More specifically, we aim to:  

• Spark discussions on common challenges such as decarbonizing campus, integrating sustainability into curricula and procurement, and engaging learners on- and off-campus. Participants are invited to offer topics for discussion and / or propose external participants for presentation on topics of interest 

• Highlight best practices and innovative approaches to sustainability with relevant organizations within higher education 

• Showcase efforts of higher education institutions around the world to move the needle on sustainability 

The Degrees of Sustainability blog is where we will capture highlights from each quarterly discussion. Included in the Roundtable are leaders of sustainability topics at many of our customer institutions all over the world. Our first meeting took place in September 2024 and focused on key challenges in developing sustainability programs and practices in higher education.  

Degrees of Sustainability: Challenges in developing sustainability programs and practices 

Developing sustainability programs and practices on university campuses poses a unique set of challenges. Frequently, sustainability leaders operate within a small team to drive change. Decisions and workstreams within these offices typically include a range of:  

• Operational decisions: Choices and plans on infrastructure change, energy use, waste management, and water efficiency systems akin to decisions made by small cities.  

• Academic influence: Knowing that students are increasingly seeking more information on sustainability and climate change and that these topics influence every aspect of the economy, most higher education institutions are now integrating sustainability into curricula across disciplines. 

• Programming and engagement: Sustainability is a team sport and engaging students not only creates new opportunities to learn and build connections on and off campus, but also supports sustainability leaders in achieving reductions goals and building new initiatives. 

This diverse set of responsibilities, ranging from change management and influencing senior management and governance bodies to engaging students and supporting grassroots initiatives can pose a strain on time and budgets. 

D2L’s Higher Education Sustainability Roundtable meets quarterly. You can follow along on the Degrees of Education blog to learn more about the trends bringing global institutions together on the topic of sustainability.  

For more information, please contact D2L’s Sustainability Team at [email protected].  

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