UBC’s many sustainability oriented initiatives include the Sustainability Coordinators Program, Sustainability in Rez, the “100-mile dinners” program, and, more broadly, UBC’s commitment to aggressive greenhouse gas emission reductions and the continued development of new facilities that meet or exceed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification.
The Sustainability Coordinators Program provides staff with the support, awareness, skills and tools needed to champion sustainability in their departments. Over 150 Sustainability Coordinators inspire their colleagues to make changes in energy use, food conservation, waste management and recycling, and in choosing sustainable office supplies.
UBC staff and students find creative ways to champion sustainability Photo: Ann Campbell
Other UBC green initiatives include:
a “Green Research Program” that provides training and guidance to staff, faculty and student employees working in labs.
the “Shut the Sash” education campaign (with BC Hydro and FortisBC) to encourage scientific researchers to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by closing laboratory fume hoods when not in use.
participation in BC Hydro’s Continuous Optimization program to improve energy efficiency in seventy-two of its buildings, with the university on target to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent (compared to 2007 levels) by 2015.
the “Sustainability Ambassadors Peer Program” for undergraduate students wishing to organize, promote and deliver sustainability education programming for UBC students.
a “Social Ecological Economic Development Studies” program that aims to implement employee-inspired projects that are designed to make the university more sustainable.
the new “Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility” that uses clean wood chippings and sawmill residues to generate up to two megawatts of energy for its Vancouver campus, producing enough electricity to power 1,500 homes as well as reducing the university’s natural gas consumption by 12 percent.
Visit the UBC Sustainability site for full information on UBC’s sustainability initiatives, or visit the Mediacorp site for more information on this award.
Do you have outstanding colleagues at UBC? Consider nominating them for the President’s Staff Award for Excellence and the President’s Staff Awards (Vancouver campus). The nomination deadline is April 5, 2013.
The President’s Service Award for Excellence is the top award presented to UBC Staff in recognition of excellence in personal achievements and contributions to UBC and to the vision and goals of the University.
The UBC Vancouver President’s Staff Awards recognizes the personal achievements and contributions of staff to UBC and to the vision and goals of the University.
“UBC recognizes the dedication and energy that all of our faculty, staff, and student employees bring to support the University community, said Lisa Castle, Vice-President, Human Resources. “In such a large and diverse series of workplaces that is UBC, we are proud to say that all of our people come together to provide an environment for the learning, research and community commitments of UBC in our Place and Promise plan.”
UBC was recognized for:
On-site employee amenities
Supporting employee development through tuition waivers and in-person and online training options
Tuition support and scholarships for the children of faculty and staff.
Supporting charitable initiatives
Helping older employees plan for life after retirement
UBC has nearly 28,000 faculty, staff and student employees at our campuses in Vancouver and Kelowna, as well as the distributed medical program, hospital, farm, forest and other locations. We are the largest employer of students in the province of British Columbia, with over 8,000 student employees.
Do you have outstanding colleagues at the Vancouver campus with three years or more UBC service? Nominate them for the President’s Staff Award for Excellence. The nomination deadline is June 15, 2012.
The UBC Vancouver President’s Staff Awards recognizes the personal achievements and contributions of staff to UBC and to the vision and goals of the University.
Recognizing the contributions of staff members to the UBC community, four staff have been awarded the 2012 President’s Service Award for Excellence. The PSAE acknowledges staff who have made outstanding contributions to UBC, and excel in their personal achievements.
The winners this year are:
Rose Harper, Senior Program Assistant for Arts One and the Coordinated Arts Program (Vancouver campus)
Maureen Lisle, Visual Arts Technician in the Department of Creative Studies (Okanagan campus)
Jarnail Mehroke, Teaching Lab Technician in the Department of Botany, Biology Program (Vancouver campus)
Peter Milroy, Director of UBC Press (Vancouver campus)
For full biographies on the winners, please visit UBC Reports.
To learn more about previous winners of the PSAE, please visit our PSAE Recipients page.
UBC’s many sustainability oriented initiatives include the Sustainability Coordinators Program, Sustainability in Rez, the “100-mile dinners” program, and, more broadly, UBC’s commitment to aggressive greenhouse gas emission reductions and the continued development of new facilities that meet or exceed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification.
The Sustainability Coordinators Program provides staff with the support, awareness, skills and tools needed to champion sustainability in their departments. Over 150 Sustainability Coordinators inspire their colleagues to make changes in energy use, food conservation, waste management and recycling, and in choosing sustainable office supplies.
UBC is a hub for green innovation and research excellence, with students, staff and faculty involved in turning the campus into a living laboratory for sustainability. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability, a showcase for green construction with minimal impact on the environment, opened in late 2011 and is currently targeting LEED Platinum certification.
Visit the UBC Sustainability site for full information on UBC’s sustainability initiatives, or visit the Mediacorp site for more information on this award.
the University maintains offices for Equity and Access and Diversity, to encourage dialogue and promote on-campus awareness of diversity, equity and inclusion
recently introduced “equity briefings” for search committees and is currently expanding equity training as well as engaging in a review of employment systems to identify barriers to employment or advancement within the University
also appointed a Director of Intercultural Understanding, whose role is to increase cross-cultural understanding and manage related campus-wide initiatives
is developing a pilot program in partnership with the “Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing” and the “Open Door” group to recruit individuals with disabilities
manages a campus-wide “Positive Space” campaign to increase awareness of LGBT issues and offers educational workshops for faculty, staff, and students on the impact of homophobia and heterosexism
created an Aboriginal strategic plan in 2008 to enhance recruitment, support, and advancement initiatives for Aboriginal faculty and staff — the plan also includes curriculum programming to ensure Aboriginal issues and perspectives are represented within a
For more information on UBC’s people practices, please visit Focus on People.
Maternity leave salary top-up, and access to on-campus subsidized daycare.
Tuition support and scholarships for the children of faculty and staff.
Helping employees balance their working and personal lives through a variety of alternative work arrangements.
Supporting employee development through tuition waivers and in-person and online training options.
UBC has nearly 23,000 faculty, staff and student employees at our campuses in Vancouver and Kelowna, as well as the distributed medical program, hospital, farm, forest and other locations. We are the largest employer of students in the province of British Columbia, with over 8,000 student employees.
For more information on our people practices, please visit Focus on People.
UBC has been named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers in 2013, for the second year in a row.
Recognizing the contributions of staff members to the UBC community, four staff have been awarded the 2012 
