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UBC / University of British Columbia
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UBC students on their bicycles
Chosen as one of Canada's Greenest Employers for 2013:
By Richard Yerema and Julien Gagnier, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors
(Apr 21, 2013)
Some of the reasons why UBC / University of British Columbia was selected as one of Canada's Greenest Employers (2013):
- established a "Green Research Program" that provides training and guidance to staff, faculty and student employees working in labs in an effort to reduce the impact of research related activities on the environment -- the university also organizes an annual green challenge where laboratory users collect points by participating in a series of green research activities during a period of seven weeks, including water and energy audits, Styrofoam reduction initiatives and hazardous waste management practices
- in addition, the university developed the "Shut the Sash" education campaign, in partnership with BC Hydro and FortisBC, to encourage scientific researchers to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by closing laboratory fume hoods when not in use
- participates in BC Hydro's Continuous Optimization program to improve energy efficiency in seventy-two of its buildings, with the university on target to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent (compared to 2007 levels) by 2015 -- real-time energy consumption can also be viewed online through a unique online dashboard, freely accessible on the university's website
- recently launched a "Sustainability Ambassadors Peer Program" for undergraduate students wishing to organize, promote and deliver sustainability education programming for UBC students -- following a selective application process, ambassadors have the opportunity to work with the university's sustainability team and program advisor in raising awareness of sustainability among the student body through events, and networking with other sustainability-related student groups
- and through its "Sustainability Coordinator Program", employees have the opportunity to learn about sustainability policies and practices, leading to the role of "Sustainability Coordinator" within their own departments -- these in-house green champions can also apply to have their environmental projects financed through the unique "Xerox Workplace Sustainability Fund" that provides annual funding of up to $1,000 for each coordinator and up to $12,000 for all coordinators throughout the academic year
- also encourages students to reduce waste and conserve water and energy through its "Sustainability in Rez" program -- the program also encourages interested students to join their respective residence sustainability committees and assist in the implementation of green practices at their residence
- students also support a variety of unique environmental initiatives during the year, such as "100-mile dinners" where the main meal ingredients are obtained from within a 100-mile radius, and various "Stuff Swaps" where students can bring used items and exchange them for others
- operates a "Social Ecological Economic Development Studies" program that aims to implement employee-inspired projects that are designed to make the university more sustainable -- program coordinators work to match employees and their project ideas with faculty members and students, and follow-up to provide ongoing support to the team throughout the project
- its new "Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility" uses clean wood chippings and sawmill residues to generate up to two megawatts of energy for its Vancouver campus, producing enough electricity to power 1,500 homes as well as reducing the university's natural gas consumption by 12 percent
- established a standard that all new constructions and major renovations must meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification -- or exceed it -- as demonstrated by its new Student Union Building and "Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability" that are currently targeting LEED Platinum certification
Background Information
Major Canadian hiring locations: Vancouver BC, Kelowna BC.
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| ©2013 Mediacorp Canada Inc. All rights reserved. Used by Eluta with permission. For comments or questions on this employer review, please contact Mediacorp's editorial team.
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