Primary speaker:
H.Y. Luo, Manager, Digital Products & Delivery Services, UTM I&ITS
Additional speaker:
Flora Liu, Digital Product & Workplace Specialist, UTM I&ITS
Description:
At the University of Toronto Mississauga, we built the UTM Marketplace, the university’s first digital free store, to connect surplus department-owned items with students, staff and faculty who need them. Using Microsoft Power Apps, a small cross-functional team designed, launched and iterated on a low cost platform that makes reuse simple, visible and scalable. The Marketplace supports responsible redistribution through a lightweight request and approval process, clear inventory tracking and librarian-supported stewardship. From furniture to lab equipment, usable items stay in circulation instead of heading to the landfill.
This session tells the story of how we turned a sustainability challenge into a community-building opportunity. Facing pressure to do more with limited resources, we chose a low-code approach that reduced development barriers while enabling rapid iteration based on user feedback and real usage data. The technology worked not because it was complex, but because it was accessible, adaptable and aligned with the people and processes around it.
Participants will walk through the full journey, from identifying the problem to launching and refining the solution. We will share practical lessons about governance, partnerships, adoption strategies and measurable impact. The UTM Marketplace demonstrates that meaningful digital sustainability does not require large budgets or custom systems. It requires the right tools, strong collaboration and a commitment to building systems that strengthen both environmental responsibility and campus community.
