From the Nominator

In September 2022, it became evident that key audiences were unaware of the University of Toronto’s extensive efforts to deliver on its president’s commitment to advance sustainability within the institution and beyond. This lack of awareness potentially undermined the university’s reputation on this business priority. University of Toronto Communications (UTC) recognized this problem could be remedied with a communications solution. Rather than remaining reactive, UTC moved into proactive mode. We immediately took a strategic communications approach to climate change and sustainability communications with immediate, short- and long-term objectives. We built relationships with staff and faculty in various departments responsible for delivering sustainability initiatives on all three campuses. We also developed a calendar of sustainability “moments,” applied an anticipatory issues management lens, and created even more opportunities for earned and owned media across many medium. We began to implement a sustainability strategic communications framework to deliver on the goal of making the University of Toronto top of mind when it came to sustainability. We provided issues guidance and published over 160 climate change- and sustainability-related news stories. In addition, we created a new video series that generated more than 980,000 views. We helped provide sustainability coverage in University of Toronto Magazine, plus secured media coverage in top-tier international, national, and local media outlets. In December 2023, the university was named the most sustainable university in the world by the international QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2024.

From the Judges

This is a great example of a comprehensive campaign that demonstrated leadership on this critical topic and an ability to live up to institutional values. Proactively tackling the problem, creatively using resources, and uniting disparate areas toward a shared goal were commendable. The results were impressive, particularly as they included outcomes, not just outputs. It’s a replicable approach that others can learn from and follow.