UBC’s letter grade improves in 2011 College Sustainability Report Card

UBC’s ranking in this year’s College Sustainability Report Card improved from a B+ to an A-.

Data collection for the Report Card 2011 was from April through September 2010.  UBC and the University of Toronto share the highest grade (A-) amongst Canadian schools that reported in all areas of the survey. Nineteen Canadian schools participated in the survey this year.  

In recognition of the achievement, UBC receives the Overall College Sustainability Leaders award, which recognizes the notable achievements in sustainability by those earning an overall grade of A- or higher.  Across North America, 52 universities received a ranking of A- or better, with seven American institutions receiving an A overall. 

UBC received the top mark of A across eight of the survey’s nine categories: Administration, Climate Change and Energy, Endowment Transparency, Student Involvement, Food and Recycling, Green Buildings, Transportation, and Investment Priorities.  As in 2010, in the area of Shareholder Engagement, UBC received a D, the average score in that category for all survey respondents.

The administrator of the survey, the Sustainability Endowments Institute (SEI), canvassed over 300 universities and colleges in the U.S. and Canada on their sustainability activities. The SEI is a non-profit organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and funded by the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.