On Feb 12, UBC Campus + Community Planning’s Sustainability & Engineering team hosted the Workplace Sustainability Showcase, a dynamic celebration of inspiring sustainability initiatives led by UBC staff and faculty. The event took place during Climate Emergency Week at UBC and was proudly supported by PICS (the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions). PICS operates out of the University of Victoria, supporting climate action initiatives in research and knowledge mobilization across B.C and beyond. The Workplace Sustainability Showcase provided a platform for staff and faculty to share their innovative projects and ideas aimed at sustainable practices and fostering environmental and climate action across their departments.
This engaging event featured presentations from guest speakers who shared their experiences of working towards transformative sustainability projects. From reducing environmental impacts in specialized fields like biomedical research to promoting biodiversity and preventing bird strikes on campus, these projects demonstrate the diverse and creative ways UBC staff are championing sustainability initiatives into their own workplaces. Dr. Gurpreet K. Singhera and her team from the UBC Centre for Heart Lung Innovation introduced their vacuum-based tissue storage project, highlighting sustainable practices in the biobanking of human cardiac samples. Their project goal was to transform how human cardiovascular specimens are preserved for research through vacuum-based long-term storage that reduces biomedical footprint, showing how highly specialized fields can integrate sustainable methods.
The second presentation featured one of our Sustainability Coordinators, Caroline Chadderdon who highlighted an important yet overlooked issue: bird strikes at UBC. After recognizing the impact, she took proactive steps to address it, focusing on practical, sustainable solutions for bird strikes. To build on these efforts, Georgia Stanley from SEEDs shared a project aimed at preventing birds from collisions, in the form of a Bird-Friendly Toolkit. From building design strategies to awareness and advocacy, their presentation brought attention to the intersection of urban development and natural ecosystems, and the importance and means of protecting campus biodiversity.
Attendees not only learnt firsthand about the work these speakers have done to integrate sustainability into their respective fields but also had a chance to explore a range of innovative faculty and staff projects in an interactive booth fair, gaining an opportunity to network and build connections. The showcase also underscored the importance of UBC's ongoing initiatives such as the Sustainability Coordinator Program and the Green Labs Program that help empower staff to drive change by working towards reducing environmental impact and fostering climate-conscious practices within workplaces such as laboratories, research facilities, etc.
The Workplace Sustainability Showcase provided a glimpse into the eco-friendly, sustainable practices and operations taken up by dedicated employees at UBC, offering new and unique strategies that serve as an inspiration to drive meaningful change through climate action.
Apply for the sc program
The Sustainability Coordinators (SC) Program continues to welcome new participants. Apply here to join the program and gain access to community, educational events, and funding opportunities like the Workplace Sustainability Fund. You can also get in touch with us at sc.program@ubc.ca!