University of Alberta
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

To achieve our strategic goals, the University of Alberta will attract and steward the resources we need to excel and deliver our core teaching and research mission at the high standard expected by all Albertans. We will build on our capacities for securing new sources of operating, capital, research, and philanthropic funding. We will continue to model and advance teaching and learning in the area of environmental sustainability on our campuses and in our work. We must sustain our people by promoting health, wellness, and safety as a defining feature of the University of Alberta’s learning and working experience, and by maintaining and enhancing the university’s essential teaching, learning, and research infrastructure. Continuous improvement and cross-unit engagement and cooperation will define our approach to governance and administration to ensure that our systems, policies, and procedures facilitate the achievement of our shared goals. SUSTAIN GOAL: Sustain our people, our work, and the environment by attracting and stewarding the resources we need to deliver excellence to the benefit of all Albertans. OBJECTIVE 19: Prioritize and sustain student, faculty, and staff health, wellness, and safety by delivering proactive, relevant, responsive and accessible services and initiatives. OBJECTIVE 20: Continue to build and support an integrated approach to social, economic, and environmental sustainability that incorporates teaching and learning, research, outreach, capacity building, and the operations that support them. OBJECTIVE 21: Encourage continuous improvement in administrative, governance, planning and stewardship systems, procedures, and policies that enable students, faculty, staff, and the institution as a whole to achieve shared strategic goals. OBJECTIVE 22: Secure and steward financial resources to sustain, enhance, promote, and facilitate the university’s core mission and strategic goals.

"A Plan for Deepening Sustainability Education and Scholarship at the University of Alberta" is a companion document to the Sustainability Plan 2016-2020. It outlines goals for curriculum and research on our campus. URL: http://sustainability.ualberta.ca/plan "Long range Development Plan (LRDP) 2002" and "North Campus LRDP - Amendment March 2014" both indicate that the university will encourage and promote the precepts of smart growth and sustainability. URL: https://cloudfront.ualberta.ca/-/media/ualberta/vice-president-facilities-and-operations/documents/university-architect/long-range-development-plans-and-amendments/lrdp2002.pdf https://cloudfront.ualberta.ca/-/media/ualberta/vice-president-facilities-and-operations/documents/university-architect/long-range-development-plans-and-amendments/a20northcampuslrdp-amendementmarch2014.pdf "The UAlberta Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan" outlines how the university will work to reduce greenhouse gas emission to17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020. URL: http://sustainability.ualberta.ca/CampusInitiatives/Energy/~/media/facilities/Documents/EMSO/UA-GHG-Reduction-Plan-2012-2020.pdf

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goals, each with strategies identified to achieve them: Goal 2.1 Encourage the campus community and the public to learn about sustainability. - Strategy: Create awareness of resources, research findings, demonstration projects and expertise. - Strategy: Promote sustainability-related programs. - Strategy: Encourage diverse educational approaches for teaching about sustainability across the disciplines. Goal 2.2 Encourage exposure to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teaching and research connected to sustainability. - Strategy: Build the capacity to include aspects of diversity and inclusivity within research, and honour diverse research methods. - Strategy: Celebrate professors with a stated commitment to and/or expertise in sustainability. - Strategy: Create opportunities to connect colleagues with a stated commitment to and/or expertise in sustainability. - Strategy: Promote opportunities for students and faculty to participate in sustainability initiatives. - Strategy: Encourage departments and faculties to develop long-range sustainability plans encompassing operational practices, teaching, research and degree programs. Goal 2.3 Support faculty members to integrate sustainability into their teaching. - Strategy: Develop initiatives to integrate sustainability into curriculum and academic programming. - Strategy: Build on existing community-based teaching and research partnerships and internships. - Strategy: Explore opportunities to regularly assess and report on sustainability literacy.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goals, each with strategies identified to achieve them: Goal 2.2 Encourage exposure to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teaching and research connected to sustainability. - Strategy: Build the capacity to include aspects of diversity and inclusivity within research, and honour diverse research methods. - Strategy: Promote opportunities for students and faculty to participate in sustainability initiatives. - Strategy: Encourage departments and faculties to develop long-range sustainability plans encompassing operational practices, teaching, research and degree programs.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goals, each with strategies identified to achieve them: Goal 1.2 Report, recognize, reward and profile sustainability solutions and accomplishments of students, staff, faculty, administrators and alumni. Goal 2.1 Encourage the campus community and the public to learn about sustainability. Goal 4.2 Enhance awareness of the university’s sustainability features, practices and resources to the campus community and to the public. Goal 4.5 Deliver activities that improve understanding and engagement in actions for climate change and healthy eating, including research, interactive programs and strategic planning. Goal 5.2 Foster opportunities for learning about health and well-being.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goals with a sample of strategies identified to achieve them: Goal 1.1 Pioneer innovations in policy, practice, knowledge and leadership that advance sustainability at our institution. Strategy: Contribute service to national and international sustainability-related organizations, dialogues, agreements and initiatives that advocate and transform sustainability in higher education. Goal 2.1 Encourage the campus community and the public to learn about sustainability. Strategy: Create awareness of resources, research findings, demonstration projects and expertise. Goal 3.1 Embed social, economic and environmental sustainability into the development and care of the university’s indoor and outdoor spaces. Strategy: Elevate awareness and increase number of accessible and all-gender washrooms on university-owned properties. Goal 3.2 Establish the university as an innovative leader in addressing climate change and make progress on reducing the university’s greenhouse gas emissions to 17% below 2005 levels by 2020. Strategy: Commit to being a leader in climate change mitigation by connecting with institutions in northern communities to research best practices in energy management and climate change mitigation Goal 4.5 Deliver activities that improve understanding and engagement in actions for climate change and healthy eating, including research, interactive programs and strategic planning.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goal with strategies identified to achieve this goal: Goal 3.2 Establish the university as an innovative leader in addressing climate change and make progress on reducing the university’s greenhouse gas emissions to 17% below 2005 levels by 2020. - Strategy: Pursue viable strategies outlined in the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan. - Strategy: Work towards minimizing fossil fuel use by university-owned vehicles by converting portions of our fleet to alternative fuels and power sources and reporting fuel consumption on an annual basis. - Strategy: Implement innovations, upgrades, preventative maintenance and best practices in energy management, climate change mitigation and environmental protection. - Strategy: Improve understanding about how the greenhouse gas inventory can be more comprehensive and include more emissions, such as those generated by air travel, commuting, and the embodied energy of goods and services. - Strategy: Create an energy use reduction plan informed by the Envision program that outlines baseline energy use and sets reduction targets to be reached by the year 2025. - Strategy: Explore the opportunity to create a climate change working group focused on facilitating initiatives for climate change mitigation and adaptation. - Strategy: Commit to being a leader in climate change mitigation by connecting with institutions in northern communities to research best practices in energy management and climate change mitigation.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goal with strategies identified to achieve this goal: Goal 3.1 Embed social, economic and environmental sustainability into the development and care of the university’s indoor and outdoor spaces. - Strategy: Maintain space stewardship principles for capital planning and space utilization. - Strategy: Expand number of existing buildings certified using the BOMA BEST green building rating system. - Strategy: Explore opportunities to certify new construction and major renovation projects using third-party systems. - Strategy: Catalogue and manage information related to sustainability features and management practices for all university buildings. - Strategy: Elevate awareness and increase number of accessible and all-gender washrooms on university-owned properties. - Strategy: Develop programs to reduce energy use, increase waste diversion and decrease water use in lab environments.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goal with strategies identified to achieve this goal: Goal 3.2 Establish the university as an innovative leader in addressing climate change and make progress on reducing the university’s greenhouse gas emissions to 17% below 2005 levels by 2020. - Strategy: Pursue viable strategies outlined in the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan. - Strategy: Work towards minimizing fossil fuel use by university-owned vehicles by converting portions of our fleet to alternative fuels and power sources and reporting fuel consumption on an annual basis. - Strategy: Implement innovations, upgrades, preventative maintenance and best practices in energy management, climate change mitigation and environmental protection. - Strategy: Improve understanding about how the greenhouse gas inventory can be more comprehensive and include more emissions, such as those generated by air travel, commuting, and the embodied energy of goods and services. - Strategy: Create an energy use reduction plan informed by the Envision program that outlines baseline energy use and sets reduction targets to be reached by the year 2025. - Strategy: Explore the opportunity to create a climate change working group focused on facilitating initiatives for climate change mitigation and adaptation. - Strategy: Commit to being a leader in climate change mitigation by connecting with institutions in northern communities to research best practices in energy management and climate change mitigation.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goal with strategies identified to achieve this goal: Goal 3.4 Advance a sustainable food system that provides fresh and healthy food in collaboration with the university community. - Strategy: Establish the Sustainable Food Working Group to advance sustainable food initiatives. - Strategy: Work with local authorities to develop a safe system for recovering and donating leftover food from dining and catering operations to increase recovery of usable food and reduce food waste. - Strategy: Explore opportunities to grow food in underutilized spaces, and to create new community gardens accessible to members of the university and broader community. - Strategy: Encourage food providers to increase, where feasible, access to healthy food, including options for specialty diets. - Strategy: Explore the use of edible landscapes as an inherent part of the university’s sustainable food system. Goal 3.5 Encourage vendors and primary dining contractor to increase the purchase of food produced in Alberta and/or food with recognized sustainability certifications. - Strategy: Collaborate with existing on-campus gardens to explore opportunities to supply produce to food vendors, campus and local community. - Strategy: Continue to work with external partners to find Alberta food producers to supply food vendors.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goal with strategies identified to achieve this goal: Goal 3.1 Embed social, economic and environmental sustainability into the development and care of the university’s indoor and outdoor spaces. - Strategy: Maximize preservation of green space on campus, pilot projects with native species and use university campuses as living labs. - Strategy: Explore and implement low-impact methods for grounds management.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goals with a sample of strategies identified to achieve them: Goal 3.6 Build capacity within the purchasing system to assess and make sustainability-informed decisions. - Strategy: Build awareness about the university’s stated preference for products registered with the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT). - Strategy: Embed lifecycle cost analysis and EPEAT registration into the requests for proposal process for computer supplies, computer equipment and multi-function printers. Goal 3.6 Build capacity for departments and faculties to engage in sustainable purchasing. - Strategy: Explore the development of a Code of Conduct for university vendors and suppliers. - Strategy: Elevate awareness of the environmental benefits of multi-function printers. - Strategy: Create a system that increases the use of surplus by departments and faculties. - Strategy: Encourage units making high-volume purchases of promotional items to assess opportunities to reduce their impact through sustainable purchasing practices.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goal with a sample of strategies identified to achieve this goal: Goal 3.3 Sustainable and accessible transportation options are encouraged and well-integrated into campus planning. - Strategy: Work in alignment with institutional plans such as the Long Range Development Plan and smart growth sustainable principles to reduce the number of people driving to a bike-friendly and walkable campus. - Strategy: Continue to encourage the use of carpooling and car sharing and investigate solutions to campus parking that encourage other alternatives to single-occupant vehicle travel. - Strategy: Explore opportunities to make public transit more accessible to people working, living and studying on UAlberta campuses.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goal with a sample of strategies identified to achieve this goal: Goal 3.8 By 2020, divert 90% of waste from landfill and continue to reduce waste per campus user. - Strategy: Increase source-separation and collection of organics to 1,500 tonnes per year by 2017. - Strategy: Introduce “Zero Waste” collection of mixed paper, other recyclables, organics and landfill waste across university facilities.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goal with a sample of strategies identified to achieve this goal: Goal 3.1 Embed social, economic and environmental sustainability into the development and care of the university’s indoor and outdoor spaces. - Strategy: Continue water use reduction plan informed by water audits that outlines baseline water use, and set reduction targets to be reached by the year 2025. - Strategy: Develop programs to reduce energy use, increase waste diversion and decrease water use in lab environments.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goals with a sample of strategies identified to achieve these goals: Goal 4.1 Demonstrate that diversity and equity are institutional values by strengthening a culture of inclusion within the campus community. - Strategy: Work to embed principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the university’s strategic guiding documents, policies and practices. Goal 4.3 Improve accessibility and opportunities for success in post-secondary education. - Strategy: Develop strategies to provide improved services from application through to graduation. - Strategy: Increase number of students and faculty from traditionally underrepresented groups, including Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and visible minorities. Goal 4.4 Seek opportunities to ensure the university is an inclusive place for work and learning with full participation from diverse, historically underrepresented communities. - Strategy: Provide support and opportunities for building community and social justice to individuals and groups who experience discrimination, exclusion and/or oppression. - Strategy: Develop and communicate respectful engagement principles for work and study spaces. - Strategy: Encourage inclusion of underrepresented groups in advisory and planning committees at the institutional, faculty and unit level. - Strategy: Explore opportunities to gather information and report on attitudes, perceptions and experiences of campus stakeholders as they relate to diversity.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goal with a sample of strategies identified to achieve this goal: Goal 1.4 Explore opportunities for incorporating sustainability-related approaches into the university’s investments. - Strategy: Explore opportunities and implications of incorporating environmental, social and governance concerns into the university’s investment policy. - Strategy: Explore providing donors with a segregated but diversified sustainability-focused endowment/investment stream. - Strategy: Evaluate investing in renewable energy and other sustainability-related infrastructure as an inflation hedging strategy.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goals with a sample of strategies identified to achieve these goals: Goal 5.1 Support health, wellness and safety by delivering relevant, responsive and accessible services and initiatives. - Strategy: Encourage strong and visible commitments and supports for mental health. - Strategy: Support development of an integrated, institution-wide health and wellness strategy and increase awareness, understanding and participation in related services. Goal 5.2 Foster opportunities for learning about health and well-being. - Strategy: Empower student groups to improve their capacity to deliver health and wellness programs. - Strategy: Incorporate health and well-being information into orientation programming for new staff and students. - Strategy: Implement communications and outreach activities to improve student, staff and faculty awareness, understanding and use of health and wellness services.

The Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 offers the following goals connected to leadership with a sample of strategies identified to achieve these goals: Goal 1.1 Pioneer innovations in policy, practice, knowledge and leadership that advance sustainability at our institution. - Strategy: Ensure the university’s strategic guiding documents, policies and procedures are informed by a sustainability plan that recognizes sustainability as a key value at our institution. - Strategy: Encourage academic and operational units to incorporate sustainability into their strategic plans, decision-making, and reporting. Goal 1.2 Report, recognize, reward and profile sustainability solutions and accomplishments of students, staff, faculty, administrators and alumni. - Strategy: Elevate awareness and profile of the university’s sustainability innovations and success stories. - Strategy: Report annually to the campus community on sustainability performance. Goal 1.3 Foster growth of sustainability initiatives and problem-solving on all campuses. - Strategy: Create and increase participation in working groups that foster collaboration and address sustainability challenges with particular attention to waste diversion, sustainable purchasing and sustainable food. - Strategy: Identify and support a sustainability champion for each faculty, central unit and strategic committee to review and implement initiatives.

The Board of Governors endorsed the following sustainability commitment and guiding principles in 2008. OUR COMMITMENT The University of Alberta is committed to a continuous effort to instill sustainability into the many aspects of university life, on our campuses, in our institutions, and in the larger community of which we are part. In alignment with its values, vision and mission, the University takes an integrated approach to sustainability that incorporates teaching and learning, research, outreach, and the operations that support them, as it builds one of the great universities for the public good. The University strives to manage all resources in harmony, recognizing the interconnectedness of ecological, social and economic systems. To this end, the University of Alberta is committed to constant improvement guided by the following principles. OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES Integration - Encourage the development of collaborative solutions involving all stakeholders. - Promote a culture of integrated sustainability through excellence in teaching, learning, innovative research, and community engagement. Education and Outreach - Aid students and all other members of the University community in developing the knowledge and tools necessary to become informed future leaders, and global citizens during their experience at the University of Alberta. - Promote a culture of sustainability at the University by providing opportunities for participation, discovery learning, and transformative experiences. - Contribute to, and participate in the advancement of sustainability in the local and global communities by sharing knowledge, expertise, best practices, and lessons learned. Research - Support innovative research and inquiry that improve understanding of challenges to sustainability and lead to real-world solutions and problem-solving. - Encourage a collaborative approach to research that includes faculty research undertaken in partnership with operations staff, students, community organizations, industry and any other potential stakeholders. - Improvements in operations and practices - Develop strategies and objectives that conserve resources, decrease the production of waste, minimize ecological footprints, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. - Provide practices aimed at sustainable supply chain management. - Develop processes that support long-term ecological, socially, and fiscally responsible decision-making in activities, operations & practices. Stewardship - Protect the natural environment by enhancing local and global ecosystems and biodiversity for both present and future generations. - Contribute to the protection of the Earth’s environmental life-supporting systems by minimizing the pollution of air, water, and soil. - Aim to enhance the global environment through balanced and positive social, economic, and ecological activities. Improvements in operations and practices - Develop strategies and objectives that conserve resources, decrease the production of waste, minimize ecological footprints, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. - Provide practices aimed at sustainable supply chain management. - Develop processes that support long-term ecological, socially, and fiscally responsible decision-making in activities, operations & practices. Stewardship - Protect the natural environment by enhancing local and global ecosystems and biodiversity for both present and future generations. - Contribute to the protection of the Earth’s environmental life-supporting systems by minimizing the pollution of air, water, and soil. - Aim to enhance the global environment through balanced and positive social, economic, and ecological activities.

The university's working definition for sustainability is: Sustainability is the process of living within the limits of available physical, natural and social resources in ways that allow the living systems in which humans are embedded to thrive in perpetuity. The University of Alberta is committed to a continuous effort to instill sustainability into the many aspects of university life, on our campuses, in our institutions, and in the larger community of which we are part. The university takes an integrated approach to sustainability that incorporates teaching, research, operations and the outreach services needed to support them.

HIGHER EDUCATION SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/?p=14190 The University of Alberta has made formal commitments to make progress and report on our sustainability plan. ISCN-GULF SUSTAINABLE CAMPUS CHARTER The university's commitments under this charter will be achieved through ongoing work making progress and reporting on our sustainability plan.