On Earth Day, we ask: how 'green' is UVic? Let us count the ways!

Across the board—academics, research, operations, administration—sustainability is a fundamental component of life at UVic. Here are just a few highlights—from the past year and ongoing—of UVic’s contributions to a green and sustainable environment:

Rankings

• UVic received a perfect score in the 2015 edition of The Princeton Review’s Guide to 353 Green Colleges, an annual publication spotlighting campuses in the US and Canada with exceptional commitment to sustainability in their policies, initiatives and academic programs
• UVic was recognized as one of the top performers in sustainability practices in the 2015 Sustainable Campus Index released by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's (AASHE)

Academics and research

• Sustainability is a key part of the academic program in nearly every major field at UVic, from science and engineering to social sciences and law. For example, the Gustavson Business School makes sustainability a core component of its curriculum
• UVic research is at the forefront of sustainability breakthroughs for our changing world; we’re a global leader in climate and ocean sciences andsustainable energy research as well
• UVic is host and lead for the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), a province-wide hub for internationally leading climate change research

Buildings and operations

• UVic has an overall waste diversion rate of 68 per cent, but a newly expanded sorting-at-source program in office spaces will help us reach the goal of 75 per cent or more
• CARSA was built to meet the LEED Gold building certification standards, water consumption reduced by 40 per cent, and half the energy for cooling and heating coming from a geothermal system that will save emissions by 340 tonnes annually
• Our campus operations also reflect our focus on sustainability. All our new buildings are constructed to meet the LEED Gold standard, one of the highest green building ratings in the world. Most are situated on former parking lots to preserve our natural spaces
• During the Dec.-Jan. holiday closure, the campus community’s efforts to energy conservation resulted in the equivalent of reducing emissions by 140 tonnes of greenhouse gases
• Campus Sustainability Fund expanded: UVic is piloting a new tool to accelerate the number of sustainability projects on campus, with four newly-approved projects
• Water Stewardship at UVic: A number of innovative projects have been implemented to reduce the amount of water used on campus and protect the headwaters of four creeks

Transportation

• Cycling on campus: Bike to Work Week, May 2015—UVic teams together cycled a total of 27,865.57 km; 6,041.26 GHG kg averted (estimated 6 tCO2e)
• Increased car share opportunities with modo and zipcar
• More bike parking on campus—nearly 3000 spots! Increased bike amenities: Map
• SPOKES: 500+ bikes on loan

Other initiatives

• Sustainability Week celebrated in October
• Staff and student sustainability awards

Visit the Sustainability website for more information on all these initiatives and more.