As Canada approaches the February 16 implementation date
of the international Kyoto Protocol, the University of British
Columbia is on track to meet and surpass the 2012 target of
reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent.
The first Canadian university to adopt a sustainable development
policy in 1997, UBC opened the first Campus Sustainability
Office in 1998 and leads Canadian universities in reducing
emissions and improving energy efficiencies. Since 1998, despite
a 19 per cent increase in students, it has:
- reduced CO2 emissions from buildings and transportation
by seven per cent - reduced energy use in core and ancillary buildings by
eight per cent (for a savings of $5.4 million) - decreased water use by 27 per cent, enough to supply 5,000
homes for a year.
“UBC is leading Canada and the world in its commitment
to sustainable development,” said Dennis Pavlich, Vice-President,
External and Legal Affairs. “It is part and parcel of
our commitment to global citizenship.”
Last year, UBC was the first and only Canadian university
to receive Green Campus Recognition from the U.S.-based National
Wildlife Federation. Much of the progress has been accomplished
through major initiatives including an infrastructure upgrade
called EcoTrek, the development of “green” buildings,
and University Town — an overall plan to transform UBC from
a commuter campus into a sustainable work-live community.
Designed to achieve major energy and water savings by 2006,
EcoTrek will reduce CO2 emissions by about 15,000 tonnes each
year, and generate annual savings of approximately $2.5 million.
UBC has set aggressive energy targets for all new institutional
buildings on campus, and has won five awards for its first
two green buildings, the C.K. Choi building and the Liu Centre
for the Study of Global Issues. The Life Sciences Centre,
UBC’s recently opened and largest campus building, will
be certified at the Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) silver rating. LEED is widely recognized as
a leading international green building evaluation system.
“These programs have achieved success very quickly
because of the grassroots support and involvement of thousands
of students, faculty and staff,” said Pavlich. “Many
are keenly interested in shaping a sustainable plan to deal
with the growth of our campus — our plan for University Town.”
With an anticipated 20,000 people living on campus by 2010,
the University Town plan includes the development of eight
residential and mixed-use neighbourhoods featuring student,
faculty and staff housing, university-related shops and services,
a community centre, a school and a range of public amenities.
The plan calls for a minimum of 50 per cent of households
to include at least one resident who works or studies at UBC,
with the aim of substantially reducing automobile traffic
to and from the campus. Since 1997, through transportation
initiatives like U-Pass that provides all students with an
affordable monthly transit pass, UBC has seen transit ridership
increase by 163 per cent, and automobile traffic decrease
by 13 per cent.
For more information about UBC’s wide range of sustainability
initiatives, visit www.sustain.ubc.ca.
To learn about University Town, visit www.universitytown.ubc.ca.
To arrange an interview with Vice President Dennis Pavlich,
contact Brad Foster at: 604.827.3006.
To talk to a UBC faculty expert on Canada’s response
to the Kyoto Protocol, contact Prof. Michael Byers, Academic
Director, UBC’s Liu Institute for Global Issues at:
604.822.3049.
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