Regenerative Sustainability at UBC: Beyond Harm Reduction

Presentation to WG2 Session on

Campus-wide Planning and

Target Setting

ISCN 2015 Conference Hong Kong

John RobinsonUBC

Jun 18, 2015

Key Characteristics of Sustainability at UBC

Regenerative Sustainability

Institutional Culture Change

Campus as Test-Bed

Two Cross-Cutting Themes

UBC Campus as Living Lab

– 50,000 students– 14,000 staff and faculty– 20,000 residents– 15 million square feet

building floor space– 48,000 tonnes GHG (2014)

UBC’s Climate Change goals (Mar, 2010)

• achieved Kyoto targets (-6%) for core academic buildings in 2007 (with 35% growth in floorspace)

• New targets:- 33% by 2015- 67% by 2020

- 100% by 2050

Climate Action Plan Goals

Size of energy challenge:

• eliminate fossil fuels• no new electricity transmission lines to

campus• ~35% growth in research and residential

floorspace by 2030

2007 2015 2020 20500

20

40

60

80

100

Current Signature Projects

Continuous Optimization of Campus Buildings

Demand-Side Supply-Side

Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS)

Steam to Hot Water Conversion of Campus District Energy System

Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Project

$150 million of capital investment

2007-2014 Performance

• 22% absolute GHG reduction compared to 2007 levels• 34% reduction per FTE student compared to 2007 levels

GHG from Electrical tCO2/yr GHG from Int. Gas tCO2/yr GHG from Oil tCO2/yr

GHG from Biomass (50%MC) tCO2/yr

GHG from Gas tCO2/yr GHG Fleet, Fuel, Triumf and paper

- ‐

20,000

40,000

60,000

UBC Climate Action Plan Targets2007/0

8

2015/16

2020/21

Climate Action Plan Schedule

Spring/Summer 2015 - preliminary technical analysis; stakeholder engagement to identify potential actions for considerationLate Summer/Fall 2015 - assessment and evaluation of potential actionsWinter/Spring 2016 - prepare and finalize the PlanApril 2016 - final plan will be presented for approval to the Board of Governors

Steering Committee of operational staff, faculty and students

UBC Strategic Plan

Campus Plans• Resource Conservation

Plans• Community Plans

Implementation• Technical and Design

Guidelines• Unit-level Frameworks• Engagement Strategy

and Program Plans

Operational Sustainability Strategy

2013-16

Energy & Emissions

Water Materials & Waste

Commuting & Getting Around

Campus

Housing & Amenities

Engagement Programs Integration

Campus Resource Conservation Plan

Campus Community Plans

Climate Action Plan UBC Land Use Plan

Community Energy & Emissions Plan (in development)

Vancouver Campus Plan

Zero Waste Action Plan (in development)

Public Realm Plan

Water Conservation Action Plan (in development)

Housing Action Plan

Green Building Strategy (TBD) Neighbourhood Plans

Transportation Plan

Integrated Stormwater Management Plan

Campus Plans

Implementation:Unit Level Sustainability Frameworks

Social Sustainability

UBC Wellbeing Initiative

• Access & diversity

• Intercultural understanding

• First Nations

• Sport & Sustainability

• Healthy Campus initiative

• Community Engagement initiative

• Community Service Learning

Initial Priorities

• Mental health

• Physical activity

• Inclusion & connection

• Food & nutrition

• Transportation

• Natural & built environments

Human Wellbeing

13

Greenest City Scholars, 2014

59 students (2010-14); 8/40 hired in first four years

Nexus program

Scholars 39 grad students

SEEDS ~800 students

CCEL 3900 students

Work-learn 2600 students

Thousands of students working with partners on sustainability projects:• Off campus/on

campus• Grad/undergrad• For credit/not

for credit• Unpaid/paid

Innovator Working Group

Members:• UBC (co-founder)• Arizona State (co-founder)• U Texas – Austin• UC Davis

Regular meetings and exchanges:• Share

knowledge• Compare

best practice

North America leaders in campus energy & climate programs

Teaching & Learning Vision: Integration across the University

Each student, regardless of their degree program, should have access to an education in sustainability via a “sustainability learning pathway” (UBC Sustainability Academic Strategy, 2009)

Sustainability Pathways

Sustainability Learning Pathway

Yr 1

Yr 1/2

Yr 3/4

Yr 4 Capstone/Leadership Course

Sustainability Electives

(courses vetted for sustainability attributes)

Real World Experience

(e.g. SEEDS, CLL, Co-op, etc.)

Sust

aina

bilit

y Le

arni

ng

Com

mun

ity

Introductory Course(e.g. SCI 220)

First Year Courses with Sustainability Embedded

NEXT GENERATION SUSTAINABILITY AT UBCTeaching, Learning

and Research

Operations and

Infrastructure

UBC Communit

y

Engagement Summary

2,000+ENGAGED

Musqueam Acknowledgement

Strategy developed in the spirit of respectful collaboration with the Musqueam First Nation.

First Nations

At UBC's Vancouver campus, sustainability means simultaneous improvements in human and environmental wellbeing, not just reductions in damage or harm. By 2035, such regenerative sustainability is embedded across the University throughout teaching, learning, research, partnerships, operations and infrastructure, and the UBC community.

Vision

UBC is a vibrant, healthy and resilient community, deeply engaged with its neighbours, surrounding region, partners around the world, and in a supportive and mutually respectful relationship with the Musqueam people.

Teaching, Learning and Research

• Sustainability learning pathways

• Preferred destination for students

• Sustainability research and scholarship excellence

Operations and Infrastructure

• Sustainability lens

• Integrated campus-scale systems

• Regenerative, net-positive sustainability

Community

• Affordable and diverse housing• Wellbeing and social sustainability• Sustainable live-work-learn community• Integrated and sustainable food systems

20YS Next Steps

• Identify gaps and opportunities and develop an implementation roadmap

• Socialize strategy and communicate progress• Convene working groups (food, social sustainability)

to develop plans• Map metrics to the strategy components• Leverage the Campus as a Living Lab to explore

regenerative sustainability

Lessons Learned

• Importance of leadership– Strategic institutional priority

• Institutional culture change is critical– Not just academic excellence and cost-saving– Connect the pyramid and the plain

• Power of a positive goal: regenerative sustainability

• Critical importance of enabling role

Replication?

• Need to make strategic case• Enlist existing on-campus champions

– Existing courses– Students!

• Build external partnerships• Quick wins

– e.g. Scholars program

Top-down + Bottom-Up