Here’s another reason to pop a cork and raise a celebratory glass of bubbly to the year that’s been and the year ahead: In 2012 UBC’s sustainability efforts and people were recognized with 14 provincial, national and international awards.
Overall, these awards celebrate the University’s commitment to sustainability scholarship, outstanding leadership and excellence in energy management, green building innovations and design, and operational and academic initiatives.
Here are UBC’s sustainability award highlights for 2012:
-- BC Hydro | Power Smart Leadership Excellence Award - UBC was recognized by BC Hydro for achieving greater levels of energy savings year after year.
-- AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) | Campus Sustainability Case Study Award - The award honours campus sustainability case studies, and this year, recognized the implementation of UBC’s Climate Action Plan.
-- International Sustainable Campuses Network | Integration Award - This inaugural award recognizes the UBC Sustainability Initiative for deeply integrating operational and academic efforts in sustainability.
-- APPA: Leadership in Educational Facilities | Sustainability Award - This Sustainability Award in Facilities Management acknowledges excellence in educational facilities and celebrated UBC for integrating sustainability principles and practices within the institution.
-- CAUBO (Canadian Association of University Business Officers) | Quality and Productivity Awards - UBC received Honorable Mention for the UBC Climate Action Plan.
-- Canadian Geographic | Canadian Environmental Scientist of the Year - Prof. John Robinson, Associate Provost, Sustainability, was chosen Environmental Scientist of the Year by Canadian Geographic magazine, a publication of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society
-- Sustainable Architecture & Building Magazine | 2012 Canadian Green Building Award - The renovated Biological Sciences Building was recognized for effectively integrating new technologies that promote sustainability.
-- Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC) | Architectural Innovation Award - The award spotlights UBC’s Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) for setting new standards for architecture and for actively demonstrating the possibilities of sustainable design.
-- Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-BC (ACEC-BC) | Award for Engineering Excellence - The award recognizes the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS).
--Royal Architecture Institute of Canada, Metro Vancouver Chapter | Advocates for Architecture Award - Dr. John Robinson was honoured for his contributions to advocacy for architecture in Metro Vancouver and BC.
-- Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development | Blue Planet Award for Sustainability - UBC Professor Emeritus William Rees and researcher Mathis Wackernagel were honoured for their work while at UBC developing the “ecological footprint” concept used to advance the global conversation around human carrying capacity, ecological economics, and environmental policy.
-- The Institution of Structural Engineers | Commendation – Award for Education or Healthcare Structures - The award recognizes the Centre for Interactive Research for utilizing structural timber as an innovative and sustainable design solution.
-- Canada’s Greenest Employer - UBC was named one of Canada’s greenest employers for its implementation of numerous sustainability-oriented initiatives including the Sustainability Coordinators Program, and its commitment to aggressive greenhouse gas emission reductions.
-- Infrastructure 100 Awards | Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility (BRDF) - The award, through KPMG, recognizes the innovative and sustainable technology of the Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility.
These awards celebrate the breadth and depth of UBC’s sustainability efforts and the innovative approach the University is taking to deeply integrate academic and operational sustainability. To meet its sustainability related goals, UBC is making its Vancouver campus available as a kind of societal test-bed where the University works with partners to prove out the technical, economic and behavioural aspects of sustainability.
In 2012 UBC launched Conversations in Sustainability in 2012, a short video that explains the ways in which UBC is striving to meet its targets and change the societal conversation on sustainability.