Welcome to the SEEDS (Social Ecological Economic Development Studies) Sustainability Program. SEEDS creates applied research and interdisciplinary partnerships between students, faculty, staff and community partners to advance sustainability ideas, policies, and practices and create societal impacts by using the Campus as a Living Laboratory. Managed by UBC's Campus + Community Planning.

Program Overview

Learn more about the SEEDS (Social Ecological Economic Development Studies) Sustainability Program, our partners, and how we utilize the campus as a living laboratory to make meaningful and positive change at UBC and in the world.

SEEDS BIG FIVE RESEARCH PRIORITIES

SEEDS “Big Five” Research Priorities represent key interconnected societal issues that help advance knowledge and action on UBC’s sustainability and wellbeing commitments.

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS

SEEDS convenes and catalyzes applied student research and interdisciplinary partnerships between campus students, faculty, staff, and community partners that advance UBC’s ambitious sustainability and wellbeing commitments. SEEDS curricular and co-curricular research opportunities provide UBC students with impactful learning experiences. Faculty are provided opportunities to use their curriculum and expertise to advance UBC’s sustainability and wellbeing goals, while staff and community partners are provided the networks, support, and knowledge necessary to develop or implement plans, policies, and practices on a broad range of sustainability issues.

SEEDS SUSTAINABILITY LIBRARY

Browse the SEEDS Sustainability Library, UBC’s comprehensive collection of applied student research. Open access research contributes to a body of knowledge, learning, and action that ignites sustainability ideas, informs policies and practices, and enables the broader community to learn, apply, and build on previous research.

INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS

UBC students, faculty, operational practitioners, and community partners collaborate to provide expertise and guidance to advance UBC's sustainability and wellbeing commitments through impactful research and collaboration. Interdisciplinary initiatives spans biodiversity and climate to sustainable food systems.

KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE

Fostering effective knowledge exchange includes engaging, sharing, translating, and mobilizing research with the communities our research affects.

SEEDS Showcase

Visit the SEEDS blog to read stories from our participants and learn how SEEDS applied research and partnerships are advancing UBC’s sustainability and wellbeing commitments.

Meet the SEEDS Team

We are a dedicated, energetic, and committed team driven by a horizontal team-based approach. We value addressing critical societal issues through collaborations that are meaningful, inclusive, interdisciplinary, community based, and action oriented. Our team brings a diversity of knowledge and experience that serves as the backbone of the SEEDS Sustainability Program.

Sustainability Research and Data Portal

We invite you to explore the Research and Data Portal to learn about sustainability research and data initiatives happening across the UBC Vancouver campus, from urban biodiversity to food security and climate action. Browsing the portal, you can discover potential opportunities for collaboration.