Sustainability Scholars Program

Fungal pathogens are natural components of healthy forest ecosystems, nevertheless, they can have a negative environmental and ecological impact when large areas of forest are affected. The purpose of this project was to estimate the extent and virulence of K. deusta in the Metro Vancouver region, to characterize the rate of spread of the disease within and between trees, to determine if climate change may be a contributing factor to its virulence, and to identify strategies for the management of the disease within Regional Parks.

Partner: Metro Van
Keywords: ecological systems

Beverage choices are influenced by the “food environment,” which is characterized by the variety, price and quality of food and beverage options present at the consumer level (National Collaborating Center for Environmental Health, 2015). The UBC Okanagan campus is unique in its setting and food environment. This is a preliminary report on the administration of the Perceptions of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Survey at UBC Okanagan. The final results from this project will inform implementation of a Healthy Beverage Initiative (HBI)  and guide the development of strategies that specifically enhance UBC Okanagan’s environment.

Partner: UBC Wellbeing & UBCO, Voice 4
Keywords: food systems, sustainability in education

The purpose of the project was to develop a community resilience framework (CRF) and explore the ways in which the Centre for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) at UBC contributes to the various processes, experiences, and outcomes linked to community resilience. The CRF is intended to serve as an assessment tool that can be utilized to facilitate reflexivity and collaboration that will enable the Centre to orient its programming toward building community resilience.

Partner: UBC Wellbeing & Centre for Community Engaged Learning
Keywords: social sustainability

The idea for a Community of Practice (CoP) to support UBC student and faculty wellbeing developed in response to faculty members expressing a need to have a platform for sharing knowledge on how they can promote student and faculty wellbeing. Additionally, this CoP acts as an avenue for faculty and staff to engage and develop a sense of community around the topic of wellbeing and show the connection between wellbeing and social sustainability.

Partner: UBC Wellbeing & Dept of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Keywords: social sustainability, sustainability in education

This report details a project to study the applicability of the WELL Building standard to UBC’s academic context. This project will contribute to UBC’s growing body of information on building design principles that support health and wellbeing, as well as greater understanding of the feasibility of utilizing a health focused building standard tool. The results will be used to inform the development of UBC’s Green Building Plan and further academic research, and support strategies such as the Okanagan Charter and the 20-year Sustainability Strategy. 

Partner: UBC Wellbeing & USI (Urban Innovation Research)
Keywords: social sustainability, sustainability in education, green buildings

Using insights from behavioural and social science research, and best practices in existing programs, this analysis examines different pathways to energy efficiency in the District of West Vancouver. Current trends suggest that energy efficiency programs have been shifting towards the integration of behavioural-based approaches to achieve more significant impact. The recommended behavioural program for the District combines three key dimensions—community-based, outreach and competitions.

Partner: District of West Vancouver
Keywords: green buildings, leadership & behaviour change

A growing number of trips in Metro Vancouver are being taken through shared mobility providers such as bikesharing and carsharing. As these services become ever more present in our cities, and accessed by customers with mobile phones, the travel data generated has been flagged by regulators and transportation authorities as potentially valuable. To date, the data generated from these services has been sporadic and inconsistent. This report summarizes challenges with sharing data and examines several emerging technologies that could be part of a standardized sharing solution.

Partner: TransLink
Keywords: transportation

The UBC Food and Nutrition Committee is a diverse group of faculty, staff and students with interest and expertise in food systems and food security. The committee developed an Action Framework for a Nutritionally Sound Campus. To achieve this goal, a literature and best practices review was conducted to inform recommendations for measuring food insecurity prevalence within the UBC community.

Partner: UBC Wellbeing
Keywords: food systems, social sustainability

This project helps the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation to optimize treatment of young ornamental trees planted along streets and parks. Specifically, the recommendations of this report are intended to help decrease transplanting stress and enhance tree health and longevity. 

Partner: City of Vancouver
Keywords: access to nature, biodiversity, ecological systems