Prof. John Robinson wins Power Smart Excellence award

BC Hydro has named UBC’s Prof. John Robinson as this year’s recipient of the Larry Bell award which recognizes an outstanding contribution to advancing energy conservation within B.C. over an extended period of time. BC Hydro announced this year’s winner at its Power Smart Excellence awards Oct. 25, where UBC also received a Leadership Excellence award as one of the province’s top organizations for energy conservation. 

Robinson is the executive director of the UBC Sustainability Initiative and a professor in UBC’s Institute of Resources, Environment and Sustainability and Department of Geography.  He has been an active member of BC Hydro’s Electricity Conservation and Efficiency Advisory Committee pursuing the development and promotion of new theories about behavioural change related to electricity consumption. 

He has been the driving force behind the creation of UBC’s Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability. When it opens in 2011, it will be the greenest building in North America, demonstrating leading-edge research and partnerships on sustainable design practices, products, systems and policies. 

Robinson contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2007 and continues to raise awareness on and off campus about the effects of climate change.

 “It is with the continued commitment and forward-thinking ideas of people like Dr. Robinson that we are making such great strides in achieving our conservation goals,” said Dave Cobb, BC Hydro president and CEO. “Increasingly, we see BC Hydro’s commercial and industrial customers recognizing the importance of saving energy and it’s encouraging to note they already account for more than half of our annual Power Smart program savings – thanks largely to leaders like Dr. Robinson.”

“UBC, already one of the greenest campuses in the world, has set aggressive targets for climate action which make it a global leader in sustainability,” said Pierre Ouillet, UBC vice president, Finance, Resources and Operations. “John Robinson is helping UBC achieve these targets by making it a living laboratory for sustainability and innovation. His efforts on this important global issue have been inspirational during his 18 years at UBC.”

For more information, visit www.sustain.ubc.ca