Sustainability on your campus

2017 sustainability champ
We can all be champions in sustainability

Greening UVic campus operations is an important step on our path to sustainability

The way we manage our campus sends a message to our students, staff, faculty and to the region in which we operate. Managing our campus sustainability helps green the supply chain for goods and services, reduces community greenhouse gas emissions, supports local farmers, creates a major transit hub and reduces the amount of waste going to our regional landfill. It also helps the physical campus become a living laboratory for innovative teaching and research programs, policies and practices.

Tracking and reporting our resource use is an important part in reducing our impact

Tracking resource use on campus, including water and energy consumption, waste sent to landfill, and waste diverted, is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it allows us to measure our environmental footprint and assess our progress in reducing it, in line with our commitment to sustainability and responsible resource management. By monitoring these metrics annually, we can identify areas for improvement, implement efficiency measures, and further reduce our environmental impact.

In 2023, the University of Victoria (UVic) generated 2,380.63 metric tonnes (MT) of waste, with an impressive 81%—or 1,937.87 MT—diverted from the landfill through recycling initiatives. Despite these efforts, 442.76 MT of waste was still sent to the landfill, highlighting the need for continuous waste reduction strategies. Additionally, UVic produced 1,031.17 MT of food waste in 2023, another area of focus for future reduction efforts.

Energy use across the campus reached 395,734 gigajoules (GJ) in 2023, of which over 53% (210,522 GJ) came from low-carbon sources, demonstrating our ongoing shift toward greener energy options. Water use also remains an important focus, with inbound treated/extracted water totaling 452,559 cubic meters.

With a total campus floor space of 405,395 square meters, UVic continues to advance sustainability efforts on its expansive grounds. By regularly tracking these resource metrics, we remain committed to reducing our impact and promoting a sustainable future.

 

Did you know?

  • 2129.12 metric tons of waste:
    • Equivalent to the weight of approximately 265 adult elephants.
  • 453,231 cubic meters of water:
    • Equivalent to filling about 181 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
  • 892.3 metric tons of food waste composted:
    • roughly equivalent to taking 260 cars off the road for a year in terms of carbon emissions
  • Amount of waste recycled: 1695.78 metric tons
    • Equivalent to the weight of more than 200 school buses.
  • Energy used from low-carbon sources: 218,327 GJ
    • This is comparable to powering about 5,130 homes for an entire year using clean energy.