Thompson Rivers University
EN-3: Student Life

The TRU Eco Club is a student-governed group that holds weekly meetings and a number of events throughout the year to raise sustainability awareness. The group was founded in 2007 and has been very active since its inception. “TRU-ECO's mission is to identify sustainability issues, promote public awareness, develop strategies, and implement solutions in support of sustainability, both on campus and within the community.” In addition to other events/activities the group is involved with, they were the successful recipients in 2014 of a $39,000 grant from TRU's Sustainability Grant Fund to replace paper towel dispensers with high-powered electric hand dryers.

The Horticulture Program at TRU incorporates the ideals of organic agriculture and landscape, as well as sustainable food systems within our Fruits & Vegetable course and our Landscape Design instruction. Over the last 6-8 years the program has seen an increase in student awareness regarding the growing of food and the inclusion of food as part of a sustainable landscape design. In the course Food Systems at a Local Level and Beyond (AGSC 2200), students are introduced to agriculture and food systems, focusing on the local level but including information on global systems. Topics of discussion include agriculture, local food production, food security and food policy, sustainability, commercialization, and globalization. Case studies and projects are used to help students apply concepts learned during lectures, and to develop critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and conflict resolution skills.

The Common Grounds coffee shop is student-owned and operated. It is committed to providing high environmental standards, using renewable and biodegradable cutlery and cups, and offers a discount for students who bring their own reusable mug. They also provide students with a decent living wage.

TRU’s President's Lecture Series has hosted several prominent sustainability thinkers/speakers over the last three years for the benefit of TRU students and the broader community, including Fabien Cousteau (ocean explorer, social activist, documentary film maker, business strategist and grandson of legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau), Wade Davis (Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society), Kartikeya Sarabha (founder/director of the Centre for Environment Education headquartered in India),Bob McDonald (science broadcaster for CBC Radio) and Chris Hadfield (Canadian astronaut). In addition, TRU’s Faculty of Science hosts an Environmental Sciences seminar series in the fall and winter semesters. The focus is general, involving many different disciplines with a focus on understanding and solving environmental problems. https://www.tru.ca/science/programs/msces/mscseminar.html

The TRU department of Visual Arts presented the exhibition “Canada 150+”, and asked the entire TRU community to participate. The exhibition ran November 9-17, 2017 and was open to the TRU community and the outside public for free in the TRU Gallery. It was comprised of art from the TRU campus community. Students, faculty and staff, all responded to the question, "what does Canada mean to you?" The entire experience is an excellent example of encouraging and fostering the TRU community to act in a socially sustainable way.

The TRU Adventure U Club, run by the Adventure Studies Department, has adopted the Leave No Trace Principle for all their activities and takes students on day and overnight trips for social events and adventure education. The club operator is required to submit a report prior to trips to ensure industry standards are met. Source: Craig Campbell.

TRU does not have themed semesters or years.

Programs Beyond the Classroom Beyond the classroom, TRU offers applied experiences like service learning, co-op work placements, field schools, study abroad, and undergraduate research that will help students engage in their education. Options like the Co-Curricular Leadership in Environmental Sustainability certificate, the Co-Curricular Peer Leaders Program, or the Certificate in Global Competency recognize that today, learning goes beyond the traditional lecture hall. These programs are not student-governed. The residences and Sustainability Office have ongoing educational and outreach programs to promote sustainable living principles in on-campus housing. Students living in the residences have been involved with zero waste pilot projects to educate students and promote reducing waste and diverting organics and recycling materials from entering the land fill. Students living in residence are involved with numerous ongoing energy/utility reduction projects and initiatives. In 2017 the Sustainability Office completed a complete energy upgrade in the residence towers and the students were involved and engaged in every aspect of the project. Student ambassadors and Residence Assistants (RAs)’s help relay the information between students in rez with consultants carrying out the work. Outreach material informed students as to environmental impacts of all measures and why the project and sustainable living principles are important. The following is an example of the material related to thermostat set points – other similar material was developed for similar projects that focused on the environmental impacts related to the projects – including (for example) complete LED lighting retro-fit and low flow shower heads.

The TRU Sustainability Office has hired students from the TRU Co-op Program, and the Undergraduate Research Assistants Program, as well as students from the TRU Work Study program . All of these students work directly on sustainability-focused tasks alongside office staff.

The Generator is a venture acceleration centre located on campus and designed to foster and develop the start-up tech companies of tomorrow. This economic sustainability program will expose students to the routes into entrepreneurship and show them the possibilities of starting their own companies. The centre will also act as an entry point for industry to engage with TRU researchers and form collaborations. The ultimate goal of the program is to foster a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship on campus, and to allow students access to people in the field who can help steer them toward success. Another co-curricular program is the TRU student-governed program “Environomics”, which educates local elementary students about environmental economics in fun, interactive ways. Throughout the school year, students are taught about water conservation and quality, ecosystems, healthy eating, ocean acidification, budgeting, private and common goods, and more. The curriculum is adaptable for teachers and each lesson is created as a supplemental addition to the current curriculum. Each section is equipped with an educational field trip or an at home challenge to truly give experiential learning and ensure retention of the material. Environomics goes beyond the classroom by educating and empowering environmental pioneers of tomorrow. The program is run by the TRU student club Enactus: http://www.enactustru.ca/