Second Annual Solutionscapes Meeting

Last week, the Solutionscapes team met over two days for our second annual project meeting in Waterloo.

On the first day, we brought together our research team and project partners for a collaborative engagement session that began with a series of presentations introducing projects that share goals with Solutionscapes, such as Ontario’s RALP initiative, Canada’s Living Labs program, and the CANZA Alliance. These discussions inspired a lot of conversation about where there may be opportunities for collaboration and potential vehicles for the practical application of our research findings. Together, we also mapped out potential decision pathways for each of the project’s three research themes: sustainable farming practices, waste to energy through biogas generation, and wetland restoration, and discussed the interconnections between all three. This was a fun exercise that illuminated opportunities for creating more sustainable landscapes, but also potential obstacles to change. We also got the chance to hear from some of the project’s PhD and Masters students, who showcased their ongoing work through a poster session.

The second day of the meeting allowed the research team to discuss their individual research projects and how we can bring them together to develop new insights and ideas for multi-dimensional solutions for climate and water. We wrapped up the two-day meeting by discussing our next steps and how we can continue to work well together to achieve the ambitious goals of Solutionscapes.