For the ninth consecutive year, UBC is recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers in 2020.
Some of the reasons why UBC is being recognized with this award include:
- UBC boasts a number of green firsts, including being the first Canadian university to adopt a sustainable development policy (and first to sign the International Sustainable Campus Charter), the first to open a formal campus sustainability office, and the first to receive the Gold rating in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating (STARS) system, which is an accepted comprehensive university sustainability rating system.
- UBC’s recently updated Climate Action Plan, first established in 2010, commits the university to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 67% by 2020 and 100% by 2050 (over a 2007 baseline year) — impressively, the Vancouver campus has already reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by over one-third, relative to the 2007 baseline year, which is even more impressive when noting the 19% increase in floor space at the campus.
- UBC adopted the LEED Gold certification standard for all new construction and major renovations of institutional buildings, with 26 registered and certified buildings – the most for any Canadian university. With over 400 buildings, UBC also manages an ongoing Building Tune-Up Program as well as a longstanding building retrofit program, ongoing since 1998.
This award highlights some of the outstanding work being done at UBC in support of the Strategic Plan and Strategy 3: Thriving Communities.
Please visit the Focus on People 2025 site to read more about UBC as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers in 2020.