Sustainable Development
Queen's dives into Blue Community University membership
September 29, 2026
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David McDonald, a professor in Global Development Studies championed ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´ membership in Blue Universities.
Queen's has joined the Blue Universities network, becoming the ninth post-secondary institution in Canada and 23rd worldwide to formally pledge to advance sustainable water stewardship through this international organization.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane announced the university’s membership at a celebration and signing event on the Gord Downie Pier. In joining, Queen's agrees to fulfil several commitments, including recognizing water and sanitation as human rights, promoting public ownership of water and sanitation, and phasing out the use of bottled water where safe tap water is available.
"Beyond being important commitments in their own right, they help advance the Bicentennial Vision as ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´ approaches its 200th anniversary in 2041," said Principal Deane said in his remarks at the event. "They build on much of the work already underway across the university to advance water stewardship and sustainability through research, teaching and learning, campus operations, and partnerships."
Principal Deane reflected on the role Blue Universities membership will play in supporting Queen's Bicentennial Vision.
Blue Universities is part of the wider Blue Communities movement, founded by Maude Barlow, an advocate and author dedicated to environmental justice. At the event, Barlow presented Principal Deane with a certificate recognizing ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´ membership.
"Becoming a Blue University is a declaration of hope," said Barlow. "A promise to empower our youth with the sure knowledge that they can make a difference and together, we can fix what is broken."
That sense of hope was evident moments earlier as students made a splash jumping off the pier as Alexander Wong-Ma, Alma Mater Society's (AMS) Commissioner of Environmental Sustainability, spoke about the close relationships students form with Lake Ontario during their time at Queen's and the importance of the lake to campus life.
The university’s connection to Lake Ontario is shared by the local community. The City of Kingston has been a Blue Communities member since 2011 and reaffirmed its membership in 2019. Joining the network gives the university and city an opportunity to build on their shared connection and explore opportunities for collaboration on water stewardship.
Burlow presented Principal Deane with a certificate to officially sign Queen's on as a Blue University.
The Great Lakes make up the largest freshwater system in the world, containing 21 per cent of the world’s surface fresh water. David McDonald, a professor in Global Development Studies who championed ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´ membership in Blue Universities, said the university has a responsibility to learn from its location.
"My interest in making ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´ a Blue University is to hold ourselves accountable to the privilege of our location," said McDonald. "We have a moral and intellectual responsibility to learn more and do more about the cultural, political, economic and environmental significance of the lake in front of us, and to better understand how it connects to a larger world of shrinking fresh water supplies."
In his Living Lake Ontario course, McDonald introduces students to the lake’s history, related science and policies, and cultural meanings, including Indigenous communities’ relationships with it, and encourages them to consider how local water issues are linked to global freshwater challenges, such as safe sanitation, climate change, and food security.
In his remarks, McDonald also discussed the importance of research to advancing sustainable water stewardship. At ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´, , for example, brings together researchers from various disciplines to study the impact water has on economic growth, social well-being, and health, through traditional water-related disciplines as well as non-traditional and emerging disciplines.
To learn more about Queen's Blue Universities membership, and to read the commitments, visit the Blue University page.
