Overall Rating	Silver
Overall Score	62.69
Liaison	Christina Olsen
Submission Date	Aug. 20, 2024

STARS v2.2

British Columbia Institute of Technology
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	4.00 / 4.00

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution held a sustainability-related outreach campaign during the previous three years that was directed at students and yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:

Yes

Has the institution held a sustainability-related outreach campaign during the previous three years that was directed at employees and yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:

Yes

1st campaign

Name of the campaign:

Go By Bike Week

A brief description of the campaign:

BCIT encourages students and employees to ride their bike as much as possible - to work, to school, for fun, for exercise, to relieve stress, to clear your mind … no matter the reason. Twice a year, the GoByBike BC Society organizes GoByBike Week across the province. They envision "a future where everyone has the opportunity to experience the joy of cycling - for work, for play, for well-being, for the planet".

Participation is free, fun, helps participants stay fit and healthy, and it’s great for the environment! Members of the BCIT team tracked their kilometers biked to see how many kilograms of greenhouse gases they saved by going by bike instead of a single occupant vehicle. Kilometers were logged online and all participants entered into a prize draw for some great prizes.

To bring cyclists together as a community and to connect and share information, BCIT hosted a Celebration Station on the Burnaby campus during the 2023 Fall Go by Bike week. This was the first Celebration Station held since the COVID-19 pandemic. Cyclists had the opportunity to get a bike check from a mechanic, learn about the cycling supports and infrastructure on campus, and engage with non-cyclists to help break down barriers and encourage wellness. An online webinar was held to connect with the community at the other BCIT campuses.

https://www.bcit.ca/cycling/events/

A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:

The BCIT team saw an increase in the number of riders participating (120%), the number of trips logged (155%), and the total kilometers (km) travelled (76%) from 2021 to 2023.

In 2021, 20 riders logged 294 trips totalling 4,870 km which translated to 146,087 calories burned and 1,056 kilograms of greenhouse gases saved.

In 2023, 44 riders logged 749 trips totalling 8,551 km which translated to 256,551 calories burned and 1,854 kilograms of greenhouse gases saved.

Kilograms of greenhouse gases saved is calculated based on an average vehicle size/model's emissions per km driven. The formula used is 0.2168 kilograms of greenhouse gases saved per km.

if reporting an additional campaign, provide:

2nd campaign

Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):

National Sweater Day Canada

A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):

The BCIT Green Team regularly runs sustainability-related outreach campaigns aimed at students and employees. They have been raising awareness about energy conservation and climate change on National Sweater Day in February since 2011. On this day, the BCIT community are encouraged to lower their thermostats and wear a sweater in support of action on energy conservation and climate change.

Outreach events were held at all five campuses. Many staff, faculty, and students came by to talk about their personal interest in helping reduce climate impacts, and to learn why turning down the heat, putting on a sweater, taking shorter showers, and doing laundry in cold water to reduce energy consumption are all great actions one can take.

2024 Event listing: https://www.bcit.ca/event/sweater-day/

A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):

Prize draws were held to help track the number of people reached by the campaign. In 2024, 150 entries for the prize draw were received up from 130 entries in 2023. 40 pledges for actions were made and approximately 700 packages of tea and hot chocolate were handed out. Left over packages were donated to the Food Pantry for students in need (see IN14 Food Bank for more information).

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:

Guichon Creek Day

In 2022, the inaugural Guichon Creek Day was held in recognition of World Rivers Day and to celebrate one of the most unique natural features on the Burnaby campus. World Rivers Day is a celebration of the world’s waterways and highlights the many values of our rivers, strives to increase public awareness, and encourages the improved stewardship of all rivers around the world. It is annually celebrated on the fourth Sunday of every September.

The day began with a Welcome Ceremony and included a number of activities:

a Wellness Walking Break

an Interpretive Guichon Creek Tour

planting and restoration work led by students along the banks of the creek

a guided Nature Meditation, and

the release of a new trail map (see EN 4: Outreach Materials and Publications)

In 2023 the theme was “celebrating waterways in our community.” As a people focused organization, BCIT recognized Guichon Creek as a place of wellness where faculty, staff, students and members of the community can connect to nature, peace and tranquility during their busy workday. Efforts to restore the Creek to its natural habitat have been ongoing and will continue to be with future daylighting plans on the north end of campus.

Approximately 250 community members participated in Guichon Creek day each year.

More information can be found at: https://www.bcit.ca/construction-environment/about-the-school/sustainability/guichon-creek-day/

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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