Date: Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Liu Institute for Global Issues, Multipurpose Room, 6476 NW Marine Drive [map]

If you wish to attend, please RSVP and contact the Pension Office by May 13 at 604.822.8100 or via the Plan’s website.

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.

One day a year is not enough for UBC; it takes 365 days a year to celebrate the earth. As the world marks Earth Day on April 22, we want to share some of the real ways that everyone at UBC is working towards sustainability, through our commitments and innovations on campus.

Taking the bus (and bike)

Taking cars off the road means less traffic congestion, less greenhouse gas emissions, less fuel consumption. UBC is finding innovative ways to get people from point A to B without stepping into a car.

At the Vancouver campus, Since 1997 and the introduction of the UPass – a discounted monthly transit pass for students – transit trips to campus have almost quadrupled from 19,000 per year to nearly 75,000. Faculty and Staff also benefit from the added transit trip to UBC – the Employer Pass Program offers employees a discounted monthly pass through

UBC has also made cycling easier at the Vancouver campus with secure bike storage on campus, bike lanes and the Bike Kitchen, a non-profit, full-service community bike shop in the Student Union Building.

Be sure to keep an eye out for Bike To Work Week next month, May 27 to June 2. You can register your bike-to-work teams online.

Training tomorrow’s superheroes

One for the biggest opportunities for UBC to influence sustainability worldwide lives with the 57,000 students and 14,000 staff and faculty who are part of the UBC community in Vancouver and Kelowna.

We’re working to transform the University’s curriculum so any student, whether studying medieval literature or chemical engineering, can incorporate sustainability in their studies. Right now UBC offers some 480+ sustainability-related courses and 25 degree programs. Staff and faculty tuition waivers can be used for some courses – check your employee group criteria to learn more.

Sustainability learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom. UBC graduate student Katie O’Callaghan never imagined her studies in community and regional planning would involve police car chases. But they did, through her involvement in the Greenest City Scholar program (a summer internship program that sponsors UBC graduate students to work with the City of Vancouver on sustainability projects). Katie helped reduce the Vancouver Police Department’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Living in the lab

UBC views the entire campus as a living laboratory, a giant sandbox in which there is the freedom to explore the technological, environmental, economic and societal aspects of sustainability, in a creative and collaborative way.

The latest living laboratory project is a new energy storage system developed in partnership with Alpha Technologies Inc. and Corvus Energy. The project involves three energy nodes that can supply one megawatt hour of stored energy (enough to power an average home for 1,000 hours), providing backup power for three campus buildings and supporting research into innovative energy solutions.

Putting money where our commitment is

UBC is investing $150 million in four signature sustainability projects that will help the University reach its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33 per cent by 2015, 67 per cent by 2020 and 100 per cent by 2050, based on 2007 levels.

One of these signature projects is the Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility (BRDF), which opened September 2012. The BRDF is the first demonstration of its kind in the world of a community-scale heat and power system fuelled by biomass. It is designed to generate enough electricity to power 1,500 homes and supply up to 12 per cent of UBC’s heat requirements while reducing UBC’s natural gas consumption and GHG emissions.

Matchmaking

There are scores of universities working to “green” their buildings and campus operations. There are probably just as many committed to research and teaching around sustainability. What sets UBC apart is our commitment to deeply integrate our efforts in operations and academics.

The UBC Sustainability Initiative (USI), established in 2010, is the University’s agent in this innovation. USI fosters partnerships and collaborations that extend beyond traditional boundaries of disciplines, sectors and geographies to address the critical issues of our time.

Academics involved in sustainability teaching and research now sit on key operational committees. Students, staff and faculty members work together through programs like SEEDS to find innovative, sustainable solutions to meet campus needs. Researchers use campus buildings such as the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) and the Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility to test their sustainability ideas. Every day, we are finding more ways to incorporate sustainability into our operations and research at UBC.

To learn more real and exciting facts about why every day is Earth Day at UBC, read more of Our Story.

The Board noted that, “Ms. Castle brings an energetic, consultative, strategic and values-based approach to her position. Her terms have been marked by a careful building of human resources practices across the university and implementation of Focus on People:  Workplace Practices at UBC.  Lisa was commended for her passion and support of the University. She is recognized as one of the most influential human resources leaders in Canada in higher education.”

In approving her reappointment, the Board acknowledged that Ms Castle has been an innovative member of the University leadership, and has done much to implement Place and Promise:  the UBC Plan, and to enhance the people practices at UBC.

Each year, two UBC staff members are ‘loaned’ to the United Way, serving as an extension of United Way staff by acting as full-time resources to Employee Campaign Coordinators and committees at UBC and in various workplaces across the Lower Mainland. Successful candidates receive training from United Way and work on the campaign from late August to mid-December. Reps assist primarily with the UBC United Way Community Campaign and may also work on other campaigns in the Lower Mainland.

Eligibility

All full-time, continuing staff are eligible. During the loan period, UBC staff continue to receive full salary and benefits but are relieved of their regular job responsibilities.

More Information and How to Apply

1. Check out the Loaned Rep posting, which will be on UBC Staff Careers (https://www.auth.cwl.ubc.ca/auth/login?serviceName=pssslogin) until March 19, and submit your resume. The Job ID # is 15033.
2. Visit the UBC Community United Way website http://www.unitedway.ubc.ca/get-involved/become-a-loaned-representative/ and watch the video with Dave Needham, a 2010 Loaned Rep.
3. For UBC staff perspectives on this opportunity, you may contact former Loaned Reps:
   Roger Ling, Arts Co-op, 604 822-0235
   Dave Needham, Building Operations, 604.992.4909
   Joel Kobylka, Enrolment Services, 604.822.8307
   Debra Elliott, Conferences & Accommodations 604.822.1013
   Kevin Morris, Building Operations, 778.689.2492
   Weldon Wong, UBC Bookstore, 778.846.2601
   Jorge Villanueva, Finance, 604.822.8612
   Carolyn Kelly, IT, 778.869.4440

Questions?

Information sessions will be held March 13 and 14; visit www.unitedway.ubc.ca for details.

Please contact Shagufta Pasta, UBC Community United Way Campaign Coordinator (604.822.8929 or united.way@ubc.ca).

In this issue of the SPP Update:

• How is the Staff Pension Plan Funded?
• Plan Governance Update
• The Importance of Estate Planning
• RRSP Contributions for 2013
• 2013 Pension Fair
• 2013 Info Sessions and Workshop Dates

View the February Update Newsletter [pdf]

UBC will be performing HRMS system maintenance from 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, to Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, at 11:59 p.m.

HRMS, our HR management system, will not be available during this time. This includes:

• All job postings (for internal and external applicants)
• Self-Service (for current employees)

Job applicants will not be able to apply for jobs during the outage, either through our careers page or through self-service. You will be able to view the full listing of job descriptions on our staff careers page in PDF form.

Follow our Twitter to stay up-to-date on any updates: @ubcHR.

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.

Go to the President’s Awards for Staff page for full details and nomination papers.

Faculty Pension Plan 2012 Fourth quarter newsletter and statement packages were mailed to Plan members in mid-February.

In this issue of the Pension News:

• Canada Pension Plan Retirement Income
• 2013 Pension Forum
• FPP Board of Trustees Update
• Market Commentary
• Fund Performance and Composition
• and more…

View the Pension News Fourth Quarter 2012 newsletter.