Current programs
and courses

• School of Earth and Ocean Sciences
• Department of Biology
• Restoration of Natural Systems Program
• Faculty of Business
• School of Environmental Studies
• Department of Geography
• Faculty of Engineering
• Human Dimensions of Climate Change (Interdisciplinary Program)

Included here is a list of individual course offerings at the undergraduate and graduate level that feature sustainability curriculum.

Spotlight on
specific examples

The Gustavson School of Business has been developing students' skills and awareness to do business sustainably and responsibly by building these values into core curricula for over 15 years. In that time, its importance has grown both in the world and in the minds of our students, faculty and staff, to the point that sustainability is now one of the four pillars of the school's mission and values.

The school has also been a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact and Principles of Responsible Management Education since January 2009. Read more about it here. And in early 2011, it launched the Centre for Social and Sustainable Innovation (CSSI). As UVic's first intra-faculty centre, the CSSI focuses its efforts in three areas: research, learning and operations.

Continuing studies

The Division of Continuing Studies offers a series of practical, how-to courses and seminars on environmental sustainability of interest to the campus and surrounding community. Courses are affordable and flexible - designed for both personal and professional development.

Examples of courses regularly offered:

• The Art of Personal and Sustainable Economics
• Introduction to Urban Homesteading
• Community Mapping
• Greening Your Home
• Exploring Local Food
• Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems

Continuing Studies also offers diploma and certificate programs in the Restoration of Natural Systems and Native Species, and a Natural Processes Professional Specialization Certificate, as well as partners to deliver a Sustainabile Building Advisory Program.

Experiential and
service learning

Below are some examples of experiential and service learning opportunities for students at UVic:

The Redfish School of Change is an interactive and experiential field school designed for undergraduate students interested in food security, ecological sustainability, and social equity. Over the course of five weeks, students in this interdisciplinary leadership program live and learn in some of the most beautiful places in British Columbia, working alongside local food producers and ecological restorationists, and engaging with experts in the fields of environment and social justice. By accepting only sixteen students each year, the program can provide customized instruction and support that helps students flourish and develop the capacity and confidence to lead your home community on the environmental issues that matter most to them.

The Faculty of Social Sciences now offers an interdisciplinary service learning course, Working in the Community: Lessons in engagement (SOSC 300). Students take their learning out of the classroom as they complete 40 hours of voluntary work with a community organization. Students are expected to critically reflect on their practicum experience and its implications for social science scholarship and self development.

The Enviornmental Law Clinic offers law students the opportunity to work under the supervision of a senior environmental lawyer to provide legal representation and legal assistance to community/conservation groups and First Nations, produce citizen handbooks and other public legal education materials, and advocate on a wide range of environmental law reform issues.

The UVic EcoCAR2 team is made up of UVic engineering faculty and students who are competing in the NeXT Challenge, a three year competition between universities sponsored by the US Department of Energy and General Motors. Students use a real-world engineering process to design and integrate their advanced technology solutions into a GM-donated vehicle.