Sustainability news

Sustainability programs and research at U of T Engineering are at the forefront of alternative technologies that can mitigate the impact of climate change.

Sam Harrison (Year 3 EngSci) has been chosen as a member of the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition at the global UN climate change summit COP22. (Credit: Marit Mitchell).

EngSci student represents Canadian youth at UN climate summit

Sam Harrison selected to join Canadian Youth Delegation at COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco

A rendering of a classroom at University of Toronto Schools, part of the U of T Engineering team proposal to compete at the Green Energy Challenge in Boston. (Courtesy: CECA/NECA U of T).

U of T Engineering student team competes at Green Energy Challenge finals

Students design energy saving lighting retrofit for downtown Toronto high school

Horizon, the solar car designed, built and raced by the University of Toronto’s Blue Sky Solar Racing team races across Missouri on August 3 during Day 4 of the American Solar Challenge 2016. (Photo courtesy Blue Sky Solar Racing)

Bronze medal finish for U of T Engineering’s Blue Sky Solar Racing team

The solar-powered vehicle Horizon placed third at the American Solar Challenge, a challenging eight-day race across seven U.S. states

U of T Engineering researchers Min Liu (left), Yuanjie Pang and their team designed a way to efficiently reduce climate-warming carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, a useful chemical building block for fuels such as methanol, ethanol and diesel. (photo: Marit Mitchell).

Recycling carbon dioxide: U of T researchers efficiently reduce climate-warming CO2 into building blocks for fuels

Group led by Professor Ted Sargent in U of T Engineering develops materials that produce fuels by consuming the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide

Dr. Cheol-Heon Jeong (left) and Professor Greg Evans (ChemE) measured emissions from gasoline direct-injection engines and evaluated climate trade-offs of the more efficient engine type. It turns out greater efficiency doesn’t always mean greener for the planet. (Credit: Tyler Irving).

Think a more fuel-efficient engine is the green choice? Maybe not

U of T Engineering researchers show that new breed of fuel-efficient engines may emit lower levels of C02, but more climate-warming black carbon

New funding from Genome Canada will help Professor Elizabeth Edwards (ChemE) and her team commercialize a microbial culture that can digest chemical pollutants without the need for oxygen. (Photo: Sarah Collaton)

Hungry for hazardous waste: New funding will help commercialize pollution-eating microbes

Professor Elizabeth Edwards and her team are looking to commercialize a mix of micro-organisms that can chow down on benzene and other hazardous chemicals

The UT4, race number 1, a prototype vehicle running on gasoline for the University of Toronto Supermileage from University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, during Day 3 of the Shell Eco-marathon Americas, Saturday, April 23, 2016, in Detroit. (Photo by Shell International)

U of T Supermileage Team at Shell Eco-Marathon [PHOTOS]

The U of T Supermileage Team placed second at the 2016 Shell Eco-Marathon Americas, with their prototype UT4 achieving 1,005 kilometres per litre of gasoline, or 2,364 miles per gallon

“Receiving this appointment is an opportunity to advance research in an area of growing concern for rapidly expanding world cities,” said Hatzopoulou, who was named CRC in Transportation and Air Quality.  The CRC program aims to help Canada attract and retain research leaders in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities and social sciences. (Photo by Tyler Irving)

Clean air map from U of T Engineering researchers helps cyclists avoid air pollution

Research from U of T Engineering is helping cyclists map cleaner routes to minimize their exposure to air pollution

Wind turbines are used to generate electricity. ECE’s Centre for Power & Information hosted its inaugural Research Showcase event April 18, and incorporating renewable energy sources into the grid topped the agenda. (Image via Creative Commons CC0).

Sustainable power, smart infrastructure and cyber-physical security top agenda at CPI research showcase

Academia, industry partners join forces to tackle pressing challenges of designing tomorrow’s energy infrastructure