The UBC Circular Economy Action Team (CEAT) is a multi-stakeholder, interdisciplinary team supporting a transition towards a circular economy at UBC Vancouver through applied student research, advisory guidance, and collaborations. Working together, we seek to support circularity across the UBC Vancouver campus.

BACKGROUND

Launched in 2023, the UBC Circular Economy Action Team (CEAT) collaborates to inform applied student research and collaborations between staff, faculty and students in order to promote a circular economy and advance UBC’s Zero Waste Action Plan (ZWAP) 2030: Towards a Circular Economy. 

The CEAT is responsible for advancing three Priority Actions under Area 9: Circular Economy & Research within the ZWAP 2030: Towards a Circular Economy Plan, including the creation of a “UBC Circular Economy Interdisciplinary Research Cluster” that advances and supports circular economy, climate, and related sustainability policies, plans, and practices through applied collaborations between students, faculty, and staff. Through student research, advisory guidance and collaborations this cluster will help inform the development of a UBC “circular operations” definition, measurement benchmarks, procurement strategies, and inform new and scaleup of current circular initiatives which support this definition.

By participating in a CEAT collaboration, you can:

  • Join an interdisciplinary campus network to support foundational work to advance a circular economy (CE) at UBC through applied student research and collaborations
  • Contribute to circular economy actions and interventions which will have broad impacts for sustainability at UBC Vancouver
  • Leverage your expertise to influence systems and processes related to materials procurement, (re)use, and disposal to support sustainable resource use at UBC Vancouver
  • Help inform and advance UBC’s circular economy and sustainability affiliated plans, policies, and practices
     

how it works

The CEAT is comprised of students, faculty, and staff at the UBC Vancouver Campus from 10 campus community and academic units. Together with their extended networks, the CEAT provides interdisciplinary expertise and guidance to help inform and advance the development and implementation of campus policies, plans and practices that address and respond to key circularity opportunities. This is done through collaborative work, applied research projects, and partnerships that utilize the Campus as a Living Laboratory.

Mission

To establish, develop, and promote a campus network of students, staff, faculty and community partners that enables impactful student research and collaborations to inform policies and practices that accelerate the transition towards a circular economy at UBC Vancouver.

Goals

To advance circular economy actions identified in the Zero Waste Action Plan 2030: Towards a Circular Economy through applied student research, advisory guidance, and collaborations. Thematic focus areas include: 

Focus areas

  • UBC Circular Operations Definition and Framework
  • Campus Reuse and Repair Networks 
  • Single-Use Item Reduction
  • UBC Sustainable and Circular Procurement 
  • Awareness, Knowledge, and Action Strategies 
  • UBC Circular Materials and Asset Management
     

Ready to connect and explore a CEAT collaboration?

Please get in touch if you have any questions or want to get involved in CEAT.

Josh Travers, josh.travers@ubc.ca 
Circular Economy Applied Research Coordinator, SEEDS Sustainability Program | Sustainability & Engineering | Campus + Community Planning