Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 75.01
Liaison Jen Crothers
Submission Date Aug. 4, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of British Columbia
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Victoria Smith
Director, Communications and Community Engagement
UBC Sustainability Initiative
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee, office, and/or officer that focuses on sustainability broadly and covers the entire institution?:
Yes

A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the committee(s), office(s), and/or officer(s) during the previous three years:

In 1997, UBC was the first Canadian university to adopt a sustainable development policy (Policy #5) and, a year later, to open a Campus Sustainability office.

In 2010, the UBC Sustainability Initiative (USI) (http://sustain.ubc.ca/our-commitment/ubc-sustainability-initiative) was established and began its work on deeply integrating UBC’s academic and operational efforts in sustainability across the campus. Under the USI umbrella, many UBC offices, committees and groups work collaboratively under two cross-cutting themes: campus as a living laboratory and the University as an agent of change.

UBC has produced annual reports on sustainability activities and performance metrics since 1998. Annual Sustainability Reports, presented to the UBC Board of Governors, are available online and provide an overview of sustainability activities and highlight achievements: http://sustain.ubc.ca/our-commitment/strategic-plans-policies-reports/annual-reports.

In 2013, at the request of the University Provost, the USI undertook a campus-wide and community based consultation focusing on the development of a 20-year Sustainability Strategy for the University: http://sustain.ubc.ca/get-involved/ubcs-20-year-sustainability-strategy.


Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
Yes

The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:

UBC SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE (USI) STEERING COMMITTEE
The USI Steering Committee provides strategic guidance and oversight to the UBC's campus-wide sustainability initiatives.

SUSTAINABILITY COUNCILS
The UBC Sustainability Initiative (USI) is supported by two councils, representing staff, students, faculty, and the external community.

STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL
The Student Sustainability Council acts as an advisory body, providing feedback on USI projects and programs, and brings forward relevant student-originated issues to USI. The Council is a conduit for communicating student-originated sustainability priorities in teaching and learning programs, research and partnerships opportunities, and campus operations.

REGIONAL SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL
The Regional Sustainability Council is comprised of leaders from both UBC and the broader sustainability community, from the private, public and NGO sectors in the Vancouver region. The committee provides input on priorities in research and partnerships, teaching and learning, operations and policy recommendations, and meets twice a year.

SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT TEAM
The USI is further supported by the Sustainability Management Team, comprised of senior operational, teaching, learning, and research staff.

More information on UBC’s sustainability structure and committees can be found online at:
http://sustain.ubc.ca/our-commitment/ubc-sustainability-initiative
http://sustain.ubc.ca/our-commitment/ubc-sustainability-initiative/sustainability-committees


Members of each committee, including affiliations and role (e.g. staff, student, or faculty):

UBC SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE STEERING COMMITTEE
- Brent Sauder (ex officio), Director, Research Partnerships Office (staff)
- Bud Fraser, Zero Waste and Water Engineer, Campus & Community Planning (staff)
- David Farrar, Provost and VP Academic (faculty)
- John Robinson, Associate Provost, Sustainability (faculty)
- Marc Parlange, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science (faculty)
- Michael White, Associate VP Campus & Community Planning (staff)
- Simon Peacock, Dean, Faculty of Science (faculty)
- John Hepburn, VP Research & International (faculty)
- Chiyi Tam, Student Sustainability Council Representative (student)

STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL
- Chiyi Tam, Alma Mater Society
- Behzad Shoolestani, Graduate Students Society
- Amir Shoolestani, Civil Engineering Graduate Students Society
- Elan Code, GeoRox
- Jesse Way, Forestry Undergraduate Society
- Nikki Lax, Place Vanier Residence Association
- Rex Handford, Marine Drive Residence Association
- Caroline Ramsay, Botany Enthusiasts Club
- Andrea McDonald, Environmental Science Students Association
- Nathalie Alteen, Environmental Engineering Student Association
- Jessica Mooney, Commerce Undergraduate Society Sustainability
- Roxy Koczwarski, UBCC350
- Summer Li Qianyu, Sustainability Ambassadors
- Tyler Wood, Engineers for a Sustainable World
- Veronika Bylicki, Common Energy
- Anna Murynka, Sustainability in Residence
- Becky Price, Sprouts
- Evelyn McIntyre, Agora Café
- Emma Ward Griffin, Student Environment Centre
- Mike Gottlieb, AMS Bike Co-op

REGIONAL SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL
- Mike Harcourt (Chair), Former Premier of BC and former Mayor of Vancouver
- Dave Farrar, Provost and Vice-President, Academic, UBC
- Orion Henderson, Director, Energy Planning and Innovation, Energy and Water Services, UBC
- James Hoggan, Founder and President of Hoggan and Associates
- Matt Horne, Associate Regional Director, Pembina Institute
- Jorge Marques, Manager, Power Smart Policy & Codes Strategy, BC Hydro
- Mateusz Miadlikowski, VP Finance, Alma Mater Society, UBC
- John Metras, Managing Director Infrastructure Development, UBC
- Marc Parlange, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC
- Andrew Parr, Managing Director, Student Housing & Hospitality Services, UBC
- Tom Pederson, Director, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions
- John Robinson, Associate Provost, Sustainability, UBC
- Peter Robinson, CEO, David Suzuki Foundation
- Rob Safrata, President and CEO, Novex Couriers
- Paul Save, Graduate Student Society Student Representative, UBC
- Nola-Kate Seymoar, Former President, International Centre for Sustainable Cities
- Coro Strandberg, Principal, Strandberg Consulting
- Ross McMillan, President and CEO, Tides Canada
- Erica Frank, Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
- Wal van Lierop, President and CEO, Chrysalix
- Anne Murray, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, YVR
- David Marshall, Executive Director, Fraser Basin Council
- Sean Pander, Director of Sustainability, City of Vancouver
- Bruce Sampson, Consultant, Former BC Hydro VP, Sustainability
- Dennis Silva, Director, Payment & Procurement Services, UBC
- Victoria Smith, Director Communications and Community Engagement, USI
- Mossadiq Umedaly, Executive Chairman of Enecsys Ltd
- Michael White, Associate Vice President, Campus & Community Planning, UBC
- David Woodson, Managing Director, Energy and Water Services, UBC

SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT TEAM
- John Robinson, Associate Provost, Sustainability
- Carole Jolly, Director, Community Development
- John Madden, Director, Sustainability and Engineering
- Victoria Smith, Director, USI Director of Communications and Community Engagement
- Jean Marcus, Associate Director, USI Teaching, Learning and Research Office
- Alison Munro, Associate Director, USI Teaching, Learning and Research Office
- Orion Henderson, Director, Energy Planning and Innovation
- Matt Dolf, Wellbeing Initiative Director


The website URL where information about the sustainability committee(s) is available:
Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) employee?:
Yes

A brief description of each sustainability office:

UBC has committed, at the corporate level, to the deep integration of our operational and academic efforts in sustainability. The UBC Sustainability Initiative (USI), established in 2010, is the University’s agent in this innovation. USI fosters partnerships and collaborations that extend beyond traditional boundaries of disciplines, sectors and geographies to address the critical issues of our time. The initiative's work is carried out under two cross-cutting themes: campus as a living laboratory and the University as an agent of change.

The USI is led by the Associate Provost, Sustainability for the UBC Vancouver campus, and reports directly to a Steering Committee composed of UBC’s Vice President Finance, Resources and Operations; Vice President Research and International; Provost and Vice President Academic; Dean, Faculty of Applied Science; Dean, Faculty of Science; and a student representative. The USI is comprised of a Teaching, Learning and Research Office and a Communications and Community Engagement Office.

Within Campus & Community Planning, the Sustainability and Engineering and Community Development offices work closely with the USI and coordinate UBC's numerous operational sustainability initiatives. Co-located in the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS), UBC’s central sustainability offices provide a central hub on UBC's Vancouver campus to engage with the campus community and facilitate sustainability learning and practice.

STAFF
UBC employs approximately 18 FTE staff who work on sustainability initiatives across the institution, including the UBC Sustainability Initiative, Sustainability & Engineering, Community Development, and Energy & Water Services. In addition, approximately 3.6 FTE student staff are employed throughout the year, most positions enabled and supported through UBC’s WorkLearn program.

For more information, visit:
UBC Sustainability Initiative: http://sustain.ubc.ca/our-commitment/ubc-sustainability-initiative
Campus & Community Planning: http://sustain.ubc.ca/our-commitment/about-ubc-sustainability-initiative/campus-sustainability
Energy & Water Services: http://www.vpfinance.ubc.ca/2014/04/23/new-energy-water-department-created/


Full-time equivalent (FTE) of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
18

The website URL where information about the sustainability office(s) is available:
Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Yes

Name and title of each sustainability officer:
John Robinson, Associate Provost, Sustainability

A brief description of each sustainability officer position:

John Robinson is Associate Provost, Sustainability at The University of British Columbia, and Executive Director of the UBC Sustainability Initiative, responsible for leading the integration of academic and operational sustainability on UBC's Vancouver campus. He is also a professor with UBC’s Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, and the Department of Geography.

As Associate Provost, Robinson leads a team dedicated to infusing sustainability throughout UBC’s operations and academic activities, and to building partnerships with private, public, and NGO sector partners, in the context of treating the university campus as a living laboratory of sustainable practice, research, and teaching.


The website URL where information about the sustainability officer(s) is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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