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Innovating for a sustainable future Integrating regenerative sustainability into every aspect of Gustavson

Centre for Social and Sustainable Innovation

The Centre for Social and Sustainable Innovation (CSSI) at the Gustavson School of Business
helps employees, students and community partners integrate regenerative sustainability and social responsibility into everything they do.
 
From research and teaching to daily operations, we offer practical support to meet the school’s commitment to the United Nations (UN) Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) and to integrate the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into everything we do.

Regeneration

Doing no harm is no longer enough. Our life-supporting ecosystems and communities need to be restored and revitalized. Regenerative sustainability means aiming for net-positive environmental, social and economic outcomes. CSSI recognizes that we need to give more to the world than we take.

83
REQUIRED COURSES HAD SDG CONTENT
8
REDUCTION IN CARBON FOOTPRINT COMPARED TO 2019
11
OUT OF 17 SDGs FEATURED IN 2022 RESEARCH

Mission and values

Our goal at CSSI is to be a leading research centre for regenerative sustainability that inspires and enables business to transform economies, strengthen communities and revitalize ecosystems.
 
Our work towards achieving this goal is guided by 4 priorities.
Eric Klimek and Kai Kristensen are the winners of the Gustavson Carbon Offset Competition

Sustainability in the classroom

  • collect SDG data in courses
  • create sustainability-focused teaching resources
  • host sustainability-focused student events
  • develop lesson plans for the SDGs
Group picture of the CSSI research fellows outside in the UVic quad

Sustainability in research

  • host visiting scholars and PhD students
  • recruit and support postdoctoral fellows
  • support regenerative sustainability in research
  • collaborate with CSSI fellows
CSSI board members pose for a group photo

Sustainability in our community

  • connect researchers and students with business and community leaders
  • work with our advisory board to advance Gustavson's vision of regenerative sustainability
Gustavson waste collection bins

Sustainability on campus

  • implement annual carbon reporting
  • develop strategies to reduce carbon
  • promote SDGs at Gustavson
  • support the UVic Sustainability Office and others on campus with sustainability initiatives

Carbon Offset Pitch Competition

Students across Gustavson are encouraged to submit a portfolio of 1-5 carbon offset projects from a list of 16 pre-approved projects and portfolios for the school to support.

Learn more about this year's winning team.

Stories & events

Book "Revitalizing PLACE through Social Enterprise" on a table with people in the background
Starting with place
Natalie Slawinski
Natalie Slawinski on how to strengthen community resilience
Gustavson researcher Matt Murphy
Grant integrates Indigenous knowledge into decision-making
CSSI co-op student Ethan Yang
BCom student talks about his co-op work experience with CSSI
Aydan Benning
A co-op work experience for a better world
MBA program 15th in the world in Better World MBA Index
Kimberly Schaub
A sustainable interest in food
Aidan Milburn won the 2024 Carbon Offset Pitch Competition for his entry titled Life
Winner video from the 2024 Carbon Offset Pitch Competition
Aidan Milburn is the 2024 winner of the Carbon Offset Pitch Competition

Sustainability timeline

2003: required sustainability course

2010: annual report on GHG emissions

2011: launch of CSSI

2017: carbon neutral

 

 

2018: Carbon Offset Competition

2020: MBA in Sustainable Innovation

Contact us

Interested in learning more about our work? Connect with our office:

cssi@uvic.ca
250-853-3721