University of British Columbia Okanagan
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UBC Okanagan is a small university campus located in Kelowna that is part of the UBC system. It is a new campus, and seeks to become "an academic, cultural and economic cornerstone in the Okanagan Valley" (UBCO Academic Plan, 2006[1]).
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Contents |
External Climate Change Commitments
Beyond Carbon Neutral Planning Contacts
- UBC Students' Union Okanagan is organizing sustainability campaigns.
Carbon Neutral and Beyond-Carbon Neutral Planning Initiatives
Policy
UBCO commits to the UBC vision and mission, and, in its own context, commits to monitor its "ecological,cultural,social and economic footprint - always striving to make the campus as beautiful as it is efficient - both to assure our own sustainability and to act as a model for the community and the world" (UBCO Academic Plan, 2006 [1]).
Institutional Structure
GHG Inventory
In January 2008, a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory for both UBC’s Point grey and Okanagan campuses was completed (Leadership and the Climate Agenda, 2008[2]). See the report for more details.
Buildings
- The Fipke Centre earned five Green Globes - the equivalent of LEED platinum standard.
- The Peter J. Meekison Students’ Union Building is LEEDs-certified [1].
- UBC Okanagan earned a $13,000 rebate from the power company, Fortis BC, for its use of energy-saving lighting, external building elements with high R-values (resistance to heat flow), and ventilation systems with efficient duty-cycling [2].
Energy
- A groundwater geo-exchange system will eventually replace the existing natural gas plant to power new buildings on campus (Mortenson, 2005 [3]). The alternative energy system is predicted to save at least $100,000 a year in energy costs (Mortenson, 2005[3]) and avoid 38,000 tonnes of GHG over 25 years (Leadership and the Climate Agenda, 2008[2]).
Transportation
Food
- UBCO Dining Services preferentially orders local produce when available [5].
- The Okanagan region often suffers from poor water quality and boil-water advisories. Many rely on bottled water, which has a large climate-change footprint. The Students’ Union Building's water filtration system provides students access to high-quality public water [6], which gives students the option to avoid the cost and environmental impact of bottled water.
Waste
Purchasing
Investments
Budgeting
Offsets
Education and Research
The Okanagan Sustainability Institute is "an interdisciplinary, inter-faculty institute dedicated to basic and applied research, scholarship, and creative works relevant to issues of long-term sustainability within the Okanagan region and beyond" [7].
Civic and Community Engagement
UBC Okanagan's Academic Plan commits them to pursue sustainability for their institution and "to act as a model for the community and the world" (UBCO Academic Plan, 2006 [1]).
Other
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 UBCO, 2006. UBC Okanagan: A Community of Excellence at all times and in all things. http://web.ubc.ca/okanagan/dvc/__shared/assets/academic-plan956.pdf. Accessed August 2008.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 UBC Sustainability Office, 2008. Leadership and the Climate Agenda: Discussion Paper. http://www.sustain.ubc.ca/pdfs/ubc_climate.discussion.pdf. Accessed August 2008.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mortenson, Bud. 2005. UBC Okanagan Sitting on Geothermal "Goldmine". UBC Reports vol. 51 no. 11. http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/ubcreports/2005/05nov03/geothermal.html Accessed August 2008.
