The fight for sustainability has long been painted as a pitched battle of environmentalists versus capitalists. But it doesn’t have to be an either/or equation. From an innovative process to extract phosphorus from wastewater to the use of solar panels and remote sensing to track energy usage, going ‘green’ can be great business, benefiting society and the bottom line at the same time.
The Green + Green podcasts were captured in 2011 at a symposium exploring how UBC generates ideas that start evolutions — ideas that change the way people think and the way the world works. We see this change as an evolution, one that improves upon what has come before and inspires the generations that follow.
Don Mavinic and Nicholas Coops are two UBC professors who inspire evolution.
Professor Don Mavinic’s latest award-winning research focuses on the production of phosphorus-based fertilizer pellets, based on nutrient recovery from waste streams. He has published more than 250 papers and technical reports, supervised or co-supervised 22 PhDs, and acted as a consultant to more than 80 companies and government agencies. He currently serves as a Professor and Associate Head (Research and Faculty Relations) within the Civil Engineering department at UBC.
What’s the best way to manage our resources? A key place to start is from space. UBC is a world leader in remote sensing technology, which allows individual trees, building rooftops and whole continents to be monitored every day. Using lasers in aeroplanes Professor Nicholas Coops can show you that Greater Vancouver’s rainy climate is an excellent candidate for solar energy collection; and measure the height of a tree more accurately than standing on the ground. Coops is the Canada Research Chair in remote sensing, and a Professor within the Department of Forest Resources Management at UBC.