With solid leadership, a clear vision and firm commitments, UBC has set the foundation to address climate change with the campus community. VISION FOR CLIMATE ACTION In 2008, UBC launched an intensive climate action planning process to engage campus partners and students. A climate symposium and several workshops resulted i...

Launched in 2001, the UBC ECOTrek project involved rebuilding and retrofitting the infrastructure of 288 academic buildings. In the four years prior to launch, UBC’s utility costs had doubled as a result of climbing energy prices. The project goal was to reduce energy and water consumption in core academic buildings, along with associated greenhouse...

UBC’s investment in energy management truly addresses the triple bottom line. Through several self-funding projects over the past decade, the University has reduced its energy and water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, enhanced the campus working environment for its community, and achieved significant financial and operational savings. ...

Building operations is the largest component of UBC’s environmental footprint—and we’ve been transforming our buildings to become visible and enduring elements of our commitment to sustainability. UBC is unique amongst universities in North America in that it demonstrates leading practices in both institutional and residential green building on ...

Making UBC a sustainable community includes setting high standards for its residential developments. The Residential Environmental Assessment Program (REAP) is a comprehensive green building rating system, developed by UBC, for mandatory application to all residential construction on the Vancouver campus.ABOUTUBC designed REAP so it co...

The Waste Free UBC initiative was launched by environmentally-concerned individuals in different campus departments, to reduce the waste produced by the UBC community. Participating UBC departments:Alma Mater SocietyBuilding O...

UBC is embedding sustainability into the business practices of its operational units across campus. The UBC Campus Sustainability Office collaborates with several UBC units (departments) to coordinate sustainability activities, achieve integrated results and share accountability. Our collective efforts make a significant ...

Innovative waste management is another way that UBC is building a community at the forefront of best practices in sustainability.Currently, UBC diverts about 44% of its operational waste away from the landfill. We reduce, reuse, recycle and responsibly manage our waste. And over the years, we’ve launched a broad range of successful waste reduction programs from gree...

At UBC we are building a sustainable community where each of us is committed to innovation and action that keeps the University at the forefront of best practices in sustainability – including water management. In 2009, we consumed over 4.3 billion litres of water—an average of 137 litres of water every second—at UBC’s Vancouver Campus.  This is equivale...