University of British Columbia
PAE-19: Community Sustainability Partnerships

In 2010, UBC established three Memoranda of Understanding with the National Research Council, the City of Vancouver and BC Hydro, creating vibrant partnerships through which to research new approaches to sustainability, to learn from each other, and to put into practice on campus and in the wider world lessons learned from our collaborations.

1. The National Research Council - UBC MOU outlines steps to accelerate the development, deployment and commercialization of clean energy technologies.

2. The City of Vancouver - UBC MOU supports the shared interests of UBC’s sustainability goals and actions and Vancouver’s efforts on the Greenest City Action plan. Initiatives include the Greenest City Scholars program in which ten UBC graduate students work on a sustainability research collaboration program with the City of Vancouver.

3. The BC Hydro - UBC MOU supports shared interests in energy conservation and efficiency, efficient infrastructure development, development and demonstration of new clean energy technologies and integrated energy systems, including micro-grid and smart grid technologies.

Another prime example of collaboration and partnership with the local community is the Think&EatGreen@School Project, funded by a $1 million strategic research grant on the environment from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Community University Research Alliance (CURA) Program, which aims to connect Vancouver K–12 students to food and sustainability issues while helping schools lighten their ecological footprint and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. UBC’s partners include the Vancouver School Board, Vancouver Coastal Health, the Vancouver Food Policy Council and numerous non-profit organizations working on food and environmental advocacy.

The 5-year study will investigate: the nutritional, ecological, social and economic practices of school food programs; the impact of on-site food production; the influence of curriculum and school physical design on student learning about the relationships between food security, sustainability and climate change; and the impact of creating a sustainable school food system on the ecological and carbon footprint of a school. For more information and a full list of partners, see: http://thinkeatgreen.ca/partner-organizations.