University of Northern BC
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According to the BC Ministry of Advanced Education, [1], the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) [2] "offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs at campuses in Prince George, Quesnel, Terrace and Fort St. John, as well as other centres throughout northern B.C. While it engages in research of national and international significance, it has a particular mandate to serve the needs of the North. UNBC offers a range of programs including arts, social sciences, health sciences, natural resource management and business, as well as medicine in conjunction with UBC."
UNBC describes itself as "Canada's Green University". Climate change is seen as a big issue in the north - it is impacting northern communities more than other regions of Canada, and in northern BC especially through the mountain pine beetle epidemic [3]. For these and other reasons, UNBC considers it natural that they become a green leader among universities [4].
Please add to this "Place" page as information becomes available, so that in sharing information we can learn from each other and strengthen our effectiveness in carbon-neutral and beyond carbon-neutral planning.
Contents |
External Climate Change Commitments
UNBC is a signatory to the | University and College Presidents' Climate Change Statement of Action for Canada and a signatory to the Talloires Declaration
Beyond Carbon Neutral Planning Contacts
Carbon Neutral and Beyond-Carbon Neutral Planning Initiatives
Policy
Although not recorded in policy documents, the school intends to become Canada's Green University, leading in green teaching, research, and contribution to the wider society [5].
Institutional Structure
Established in 2007, the UNBC Green Committee has student, faculty, and admin representatives, including the Chief Financial Officer, the Director of Facilities Management, and the Director of Planning and Capital Projects [6]. The committee is investigating hiring a sustainability staff person.
Buildings
UNBC has completed and is working on several initiatives to lower the carbon-impact of their buildings. Below are examples from the many projects listed on their | Green Campus website:
- The new Northern University Student Centre is being built largely from previously used materials. All of the doors, lights and toilets will be reclaimed from other buildings.
- UNBC's campus in Quesnel has been built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold standard and uses only 34% of the energy and 59% of the water than a building of the same size built to regular specifications.
- Connectivity of the main campus buildings enables efficient distribution of heat, air conditioning, electricity, telecommunications, and water.
Energy
- UNBC is the first university in BC to receive an award from Philips for its energy-efficient lighting [7].
- Variable-speed drives and new air cooling equipment have been installed, with the goal of reducing gas consumption by 40% [8].
- UNBC is exploring wood (biomass) and other alternative energy sources for the campus [9].
Transportation
- In 2008, UNBC undergrad students voted in favour of adopting a U-Pass program [10].
- UNBC facilitates a carpooling program and offers discounted parking spaces to carpoolers[1].
Food
Beyond carbon neutral initiatives in this area are not known. Please add as they become available!
Waste
- Prince George Public Interest Research Group (PGPIRG) operates a compost garden that annually deals with eight tonnes of organic material produced on the campus. It’s the biggest composting program of any BC university.
- PGPIRG also runs a recycling program for student residences.
- UNBC is partnering with Calstone Inc. to refurbish used office furniture to prevent it from being deposited in a landfill. The University also recycles asphalt that needs to be removed from the campus [11].
Purchasing
- UNBC strives to minimize environmental impact in all its purchasing decisions by "promot[ing] the reduction, re-use and recycling of material/equipment, reduc[ing] the use of materials toxic to the environment, [and] standardiz[ing] common supplies and equipment where possible" (UNBC Purchasing Policy [2]).
Investments
Beyond carbon neutral initiatives in this area are not known. Please add as they become available!
Budgeting
Beyond carbon neutral initiatives in this area are not known. Please add as they become available!
Offsets
Beyond carbon neutral initiatives in this area are not known. Please add as they become available!
Education and Research
- UNBC states that they are a Canadian leader for the proportion of students in environmental programs and that the proportion of students taking environmental programs at UNBC is about 20 times the national average [12].
- 15 degree programs are offered in environmental areas, and environmental issues are integrated into such diverse disciplines as English, History, and Psychology [13].
- 11 of 13 Research Chairs are involved in environmental research, the largest number of any small university in Canada [14].
- Among other initiatives, UNBC will invest $15 million in a Resource Products and Bioenergy Innovation Centre, and $3 million for three, five-year research chairs in biomass heat and energy sources [15].
- The majority of research funding at UNBC is directed to environmental issues [16].
Civic and Community Engagement
UNBC is committed to working with the wider community, declaring that "only a university can link private industries, governments, communities, and all citizens in achieving sustainability" [17].
Other
The NorthLink project for distance education will enable UNBC to provide services to students "without building costly campuses or traveling long distances," thus reducing the climate change impact of each additional student [18].
References
- ↑ UNBC Carpool Program: Policies and Procedures. http://www.unbc.ca/assets/policy/facilities/parking_car_pool_program.pdf. Accessed August 2008
- ↑ UNBC Policies and Procedures: Purchasing. http://www.unbc.ca/assets/policy/pcrm/pcrm_purchasing.pdf. Accessed August 2008.
