Sustainability Scholars Program

Wellbeing services on campus experience unsustainable demands from students seeking support for elevated levels of stress. This project aims to inform development of a campus-wide stress management strategy at UBC Okanagan. This objective was accomplished in three phases: 1. Explore resources on campus and within the literature; 2. Assess barriers and facilitators to accessing resources; and 3. Refine a biofeedback intervention to help students to self-regulate their stress response.

Partner: UBC-O School of Health and Exercise Sciences
Keywords: leadership & behaviour change, social sustainability

This project supports the physical and mental wellbeing of the student population at the UBC Okanagan campus. This will be achieved through the development of a physical activity referral program. Students with physical or mental health related concerns will be referred to the program by healthcare professionals and UBCO Health and Wellness. Students will receive physical activity-related mentorship from peers in the Human Kinetics program to increase their wellbeing.

Partner: UBC-O School of Health and Exercise Sciences
Keywords: leadership & behaviour change, physical activity, mental wellbeing

This project aims to improve and update the understanding of ground-level ozone science since the adoption of the latest Regional Ground-Level Ozone Strategy (RGLOS) in 2014. Includes recent relevant literature on ozone chemistry, meteorology, industrial processes, medical research, ecology, and best practices adopted by other jurisdictions. Builds upon the current RGLOS and addresses challenges the Canadian Lower Fraser Valley is facing to inform the anticipated RGLOS renewal in 2019/2020.

Partner: Metro Vancouver
Keywords: sustainable development & green economy

This project aims to provide an overview of the challenges and opportunities for creating an online marketplace for salvaged construction and demolition materials in Metro Vancouver to help the region increase its diversion rate to 80% by 2020. The report includes suggestions for focusing on salvaged wood, supporting deconstruction within the region, actively managing the online marketplace, and providing a warehouse to store the salvaged material.

Partner: Metro Vancouver
Keywords: supply chain management & green procurement, sustainable development & green economy, waste management & recycling

This report seeks to assist the UBC Human Resources Equity Inclusion working group and the UBC Equity & Inclusion Office to understand current, effective, and leading equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) human resources practices and approaches for the workplace. The aim of the report is to provide the HR Equity and Inclusion working group with information to support the development of a road-map that prioritizes EDI initiatives within HR and across UBC.  

Partner: UBC Human Resources
Keywords: leadership & behaviour change, human resources, employment equity, marginalization

A policy assessment to support the implementation of UBC's Green Building Action Plan with a focus on reduction of embodied carbon in building projects through whole-building lifecycle assessment (LCA). Research includes a review of policies, standards, regulations and available market tools related to LCAs. The results of this study will inform how embodied carbon is measured with the overall objective of reducing the environmental impact of building construction through improved organizational decision-making.

Partner: UBC Sustainability Initiative (Urban Innovation Research)
Keywords: green buildings, supply chain management & green procurement, sustainable development & green economy

This project reviews the research program at UBC's Bioenergy Research Demonstration Facility (BRDF). The main research topics have been tar cracking, fuel quality, and emissions. In 2020, the BRDF will expand to include a 12 MWth boiler that produces thermal energy by combustion. Interviews with key UBC faculty and operators identified enablers and barriers for collaboration and for conducting applied research in an operating facility. 

Partner: UBC Sustainability Initiative (Urban Innovation Research)
Keywords: green buildings, bioenergy, campus as a living lab

This project aims to support the development of the City of Surrey's existing buildings strategy by providing an analysis of the policies and programs of nearby local governments using the Market Transformation Framework. Key takeaways from the analysis include adopting building-specific targets, expanding incentive programs, advocating for a provincial energy labelling program, collaborating with local governments and stakeholders, and exploring targeted marketing options.

Partner: City of Surrey
Keywords: green buildings

This project explores policy options on how Metro Vancouver and member municipalities can lead the implementation of building energy benchmarking, an ongoing measurement of a building's energy performance. The research report includes lessons learned from leading jurisdictions, an overview of existing benchmarking requirements in the region and findings from stakeholder interviews, and presents four policy alternatives for consideration by Metro Vancouver and member jurisdictions. 

Partner: UBC Campus & Community Planning
Keywords: green buildings, building energy benchmarking, policy solutions for existing buildings