The University of British Columbia
IN-1: Innovation 1

In fall 2014, UBC finalized a 20-year Sustainability Strategy for UBC’s Vancouver campus. The UBC Sustainability Initiative (USI) Steering Committee, an internal governance body that provides strategic guidance and oversight to the Initiative, approved the Strategy on September 8, 2014. Following approval of the USI Steering Committee, the Strategy was presented to the UBC Board of Governors on 2 December, 2014. Building on 20 years of sustainability achievements at UBC, the Strategy is a response to a significant academic and operational opportunity to continue being at the forefront of the sustainability transition. The Strategy articulates a bold long-term vision and strategic goals that will catalyze next generation sustainability at UBC’s Vancouver campus, and embed it across teaching, learning and research, operations and infrastructure and the community. The Strategy will guide institutional innovation and transformation, enabling the University to continue being a global leader that inspires not only a more sustainable campus community, but a more sustainable world. As an overall framework, it will enable UBC to further integrate dispersed sustainability efforts through the lens of regenerative sustainability, leverage the campus as a societal test-bed and create academic, operational and community collaborations and connections. The Strategy development process began in September 2013 with the formation of a Steering Committee, tasked with drafting the Strategy and guiding the engagement process. A comprehensive, eight-month campus-wide engagement process involved over 2,000 individuals including the Musqueam First Nations, community partners, students, faculty, and staff. The Strategy provides an overall strategic direction for sustainability at UBC and a framework through which we operate and evaluate our activities. The 20-year Sustainability Strategy implementation will be ongoing. The Strategy provides long-term direction for sustainability and should be considered a living document to be updated in response to emerging circumstances and in consultation with appropriate stakeholders. Very few universities have such a long-term visionary document.

The UBC 20-Year Sustainability Strategy represents a significant achievement of working with the UBC community. The development of the Strategy was directed by the 20-year Sustainability Strategy Steering Committee, chaired by the Associate Provost, Sustainability, and composed of 21 community members, including 5 faculty, 4 students and 4 staff, 4 external partners, and the University Neighbourhoods Association and the Musqueam First Nation. Feedback was sought widely from campus constituents, through an online survey and in-person workshop sessions. The engagement process was staged in two phases: Phase 1 engaged the community in the development of a vision for sustainability through online and in-person opportunities for feedback that were communicated widely, including via a broadcast email. A campus wide survey indicated general support for the direction of the vision. Phase 2 engaged the community in the development of strategic goals across the three pillars of teaching, learning and research, operations and infrastructure and community. Online and in-person opportunities to provide feedback were widely communicated. Overall, 2,000 people were engaged, including 1,400 via an online survey and 800 through in-person opportunities. Approximately 5,000 people visited the project website. ENGAGEMENT ACHIEVEMENTS - Over 2,000 people directly engaged - 800 in-person engagement touch-points - 1368 online survey responses (64% students, 26% staff, 8% faculty, 2% others) indicating overall support for the Strategy - 3 integrated faculty and staff workshops with total of 100 participants - Sustainability Coordinators (staff) and Sustainability - Ambassadors (students) workshops - 2 open houses for on-campus and neighbourhood communities - 3 community booths at major campus events - 10+ presentations to undergraduate and graduate students councils and groups, the UBC staff association, the neighbourhood association, and at several community events, including the UBC Farm Symposium and the Student Leadership Conference - 5,200 website visits