On Monday, September 27, 2010, over 325 UBC students, faculty, staff, and community members attended the symposium Our Campus as a Living Lab, hosted by the UBC Sustainability Initiative.

 
Through lively presentations, panels and discussions, the participants explored the concept and practical application of our campus as a living laboratory for sustainability. Campus leaders as well as representatives from the City of Vancouver, BC Hydro, UBC Neighbourhoods Association and others contributed their perspectives on sustainability successes, challenges and opportunities for addressing sustainability in our campus life and campus systems.

The final symposium program details the full roster of presenters and topics. Many of the presenters have made their presentations available for download:

Topic: Overview of day and our campus as a living lab
Presenters: John Robinson, Executive Director, UBC Sustainability Initiative

Topic: Breaking down the walls that divide us: SEEDS and PICS as models of cross cutting initiatives
Presenters: Liska Richer, Instructor, Coordinator, SEEDS Program, UBC
Tom Pedersen, Executive Director, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions

Topic: Our Campus Life: Sustainability in our classroom and beyond
Presenters: Jean Marcus, Associate Director, Teaching & Learning, UBC Sustainability Initiative
Spencer Rasmussen and Angela Willock, , UBC Vancouver Senate Student Representative At-large; Director, Common Energy, UBC
Andrew Riseman, Associate Professor, Plant Breeding & Agroecology, UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems

Topic: Our Campus Systems: Meeting our 2015 goals
Presenters: Andrew Collins, Associate Director, Project Services, UBC
James Tansey, Academic Director, Research and Strategic Partnerships, UBC Sustainability Initiative
Jeff Giffin, Alternative Energy, Special Project Manager, UBC

Topic: A promise, a path and pushing the envelope: Our campus as a living lab
Presenter: Pierre Ouillet, Vice President, Finance, Resources and Operations, UBC

Topic: UBC as an agent of change for sustainability
Presenters: Gail McBride, Senior Manager, Innovation & Conservation Leadership, BC Hydro

Sean Pander, (Acting) Sustainability Manager, Office of the City Manager, City of Vancouver

Maja Velikovic, Director General, National Research Council Canada - Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation

Dan Wayner, NRC Vice-President, Physical Sciences

Topic: Our Campus Life: Living in the laboratory
Presenters: Kera McArthur, Associate Director, Communications, Campus & Community Planning, UBC
Ralph Wells, Sustainability Manager, University Neighbourhoods Association
Theresa Fresco, Student Coordinator for the residence Sustainability Reps Program, Campus Sustainability, UBC
Deb Baldarelli, Resident Coordinator and Sustainability Committee Chair at Totem Park residence, UBC

Topic: Our Campus Systems: Getting aggressive: Pushing past 33 percent
Presenters: Steve Cockcroft, Academic Director, Research and Strategic Partnerships, UBC Sustainability Initiative
Kristina Welch, Manager, Green IT, ISIS: A Research Centre at the Sauder School of Business, UBC
Hadi Dowlatabadi, Canada Research Chair Professor, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, Liu Institute for Global Issues, UBC
Gunilla Oberg, Director, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, UBC