Four panelists and a moderator sit around a circular table.
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Representatives from businesses with models that have a social impact speak before the award presentation. Dennis Cunningham, Manager of Environmental Sustainability at Assiniboine Credit Union, speaks while Savanna Vagianos, Amanda Wolfe, Somia Sadiq, and Peter Hill listen. Photo credit: Mike Latschislaw
Representatives from businesses with models that have a social impact speak before the award presentation. Dennis Cunningham, Manager of Environmental Sustainability at Assiniboine Credit Union, speaks while Savanna Vagianos, Amanda Wolfe, Somia Sadiq, and Peter Hill listen. Photo credit: Mike Latschislaw
Estimated Read Time:
3 minutes
Sustainability

Students champion sustainability at UM through research, advocacy, and hands-on action

Undergraduate, graduate, and student groups received awards for their sustainability work.

By

Office of Sustainability

The University of Manitoba celebrated the outstanding sustainability leadership of its community during the 2026 Sustainability Awards presentation, recognizing students, staff, faculty, and collaborative teams who are driving meaningful changes across campus and beyond. This year’s student award recipients, Abby Procter, Uche Nwankwo, and the UM Wetlanders Club, demonstrate how UM students are merging academic passion with action to build a more sustainable future.

Undergraduate Award: Abby Procter brings a prairie perspective to global climate conversations
 

Abby Procter receives wooden plaque from Christie Nairn.
Abby Procter, 2026 Undergraduate Sustainability Award winner, with Christie Nairn, director of the Office of Sustainability.

Economics student Abby Procter, the 2026 Undergraduate Sustainability Award winner, has dedicated her academic journey to integrating environmental health into economic thinking. As president of the Economics Society, she led programming that highlighted how traditional economics has often overlooked environmental impacts.

Her advocacy extended nationally and internationally this year. Procter was invited to speak alongside Canada’s Minister of Environment at the Local Conference of Youth, where she contributed to the National Youth Statement presented at COP30 in Brazil. She emphasized Canada’s renewable energy transition, stressing the role of private sector incentives and economic reconciliation in climate policy.

Procter also completed a co-op placement with the Canada Water Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada, contributing to initiatives including the Arctic and Northern Framework, the Nunangat Policy, and EcoAction funding. She plans to continue her sustainability leadership in the field of environmental law.
 

Graduate Award: Uche Nwankwo tackles food insecurity and campus biodiversity

Uche Nwankwo accepts wooden plaque from Christie Nairn
Uche Nwankwo being awarded the Graduate Sustainability Award by Christie Nairn, the director of the Office of Sustainability.

PhD candidate Uche Nwankwo, winner of the Graduate Sustainability Award, has significantly strengthened UM’s food security landscape. After identifying alarming levels of student food insecurity, he mobilized greenhouse staff, faculty and students to grow thousands of free plants, ranging from vegetables to perennials, which were distributed across the UM community.

Nwankwo also advanced campus biodiversity by coordinating the creation of food gardens and a food forest at 70 Dysart Road adjacent to St. Paul's College, emphasizing culturally meaningful crops for African students. His work reflects a commitment to practical solutions paired with student empowerment.

Beyond hands-on projects, Nwankwo supports sustainability education through contributions to UM’s ecosystem restoration courses and certificate programs.
 

Student Group Award: UM Wetlanders Club cultivates wetlands education and biodiversity

For nearly ten years, the UM Wetlanders Club has enhanced wildlife habitat on the Fort Garry campus by constructing and maintaining wood duck boxes and duck tunnels. This year, the club expanded its efforts by hosting the Great Canadian Bioblitz, leading guided nature walks, co-organizing river cleanups, and offering networking opportunities with wetland conservation professionals.

Their vibrant online engagement—from logo design contests to recruitment campaigns—has strengthened student participation in conservation activities across campus.
 

UM Wetlanders Instagram post promoting bioblitz event.
UM Wetlanders Instagram social media post promoting BioBlitz

 

Staff and faculty recognized for sustainability leadership
 

In addition to the students who were recognized, Sustainability Night also honoured the contributions of staff and faculty who embed sustainability into their daily work.

Staff Award: Lisa MacPherson

A longtime green office leader in Career Services, Lisa MacPherson has spearheaded organics collection, battery recycling, reusable paper initiatives and creative reuse programs across her department, inspiring colleagues through everyday sustainability practices.

Faculty Award: Dr. Punam Mehta

Through arts-based learning, community engagement and innovative pedagogy, Dr. Punam Mehta empowers students to explore real world social determinants of health—including food insecurity and homelessness—through photography and critical reflection. Her "Visionary Lens" project has become a powerful campus exhibit.

Collaborative Award: Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning

A team from the Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning was recognized for launching multi-departmental sustainability efforts—from expanding the recycling program to include pens and batteries to growing the office compost systems with gamification. Co-workers Bran Adams, Anna Neklo, Samantha McIvor, and student Robin Chow highlight how collective action can spark meaningful cultural change.
 

Celebrating a thriving culture of sustainability at UM

Together, this year’s winners reflect a growing culture of innovation, collaboration, and environmental responsibility across UM. From student led food security programs to staff driven recycling initiatives and faculty leadership in sustainability education, the UM community continues to push the boundaries of what a sustainable campus can be.

At UM, we believe in meeting today’s needs without compromising the well-being of tomorrow’s generation. We pursue sustainability in its many forms: societal, cultural, economic and environmental. Building a sustainable future is among the commitments you’ll find in MomentUM: Leading change together, the University of Manitoba’s 2024–2029 strategic plan.