Students around the world learn green building design

This summer, the world is coming to Toronto. 

“The world” means students, and “Toronto” means York University. Working in conjunction with the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), York just launched its newest – and greenest – summer program. 

The course is designed to groom the next, international, generation of “green thinkers.” The course, Design for Sustainability in the Built Environment: Interactive Workshop is open to junior and senior undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines. 

How does one groom a generation of green thinkers? By taking a broad, interdisciplinary approach.  Environmental issues problems are inherently complex, and cover a lot of ground.  Environmental law, green building rating systems, business and policy case study – and more. 

That’s the idea behind York’s program. Tomorrow’s environmental problems will be best resolved if most decision makers and stakeholders have a broad (if not comprehensive) understanding of the issues involved.  As environmental issues know no borders, neither will this program.

The course will take advantage of all the resources Toronto has to offer. York’s Environmental Studies program is well-regarded to begin with, but workshops will also take place at the LEED Gold certified Earth Rangers Centre at the Kortright Centre for Conservation as well as Toronto and Region Conservation’s environmental education centre. 

York and World GBC have high hopes for the program. It’s the first of its kind in North America, and the first to involve undergrads from around the world. 

Global issues really do require global solutions – and York is doing its best to create some.