Sustainability Scholars Program

One of the biggest challenges in attracting transit ridership is the first-and-last mile problem. While transit can provide an efficient, cost-effective and quick journey for heavily traversed routes; the low density first-and-last mile poses challenges. This project seeks to investigate the role of one-way carsharing in bridging the first-and-last mile connection to transit through a spatio-temporal analysis of ridership data of trips by BCAA's Evo carshare members in Metro Vancouver.

Partner: TransLink & BCAA/Evo
Keywords: sustainable development & green economy, transportation

This project aims to assist further integration between bikes and transit by creating a framework to help plan and prioritize future investment and capital expenditures in bike parking at transit facilities. This includes an assessment of transit facilities and their surroundings to determine opportunities for biking and identify locations that show the most potential for combining bikes and transit to promote sustainable and active transportation. 

Partner: TransLink
Keywords: transportation

Researched innovative practices to support health & wellbeing to reduce incidence of chronic disease in employee populations. Identified strategies to increase usage of nutrition services available to faculty and staff at the University of British Columbia. Uncovered barriers to utilizing and quantified usage of Employee Family Assistance Program (EFAP) nutrition services through an internal employee survey. Created three electronically-distributable tools to be sent throughout UBC.

Partner: UBC HR
Keywords: food systems, leadership & behaviour change, social sustainability

This project aims to support the City of Port Moody to develop an Electric Vehicle (EV) strategy by reviewing the best practices of selected local governments as well as by analyzing the policy context and feasibility of a joint tri-cities strategy.

Partner: City of Port Moody
Keywords: transportation

This project showcases existing global sustainability precedents for large-scale redevelopments. A total of thirteen case studies were examined across five countries. The case studies demonstrate innovative approaches to environmental, social and economic sustainability. The subsequent discussion focuses on policy analysis, opportunities for reconciliation, and best practice implementation. This project will help to inform the future redevelopment of the Jericho Lands.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Keywords: climate and renewables, green economy, healthy city

The long term goal of this project has been to develop capacity around Teaching Assistant (TA) wellness at UBC. Building off data collected in 2018, we continued collecting information on TA wellbeing through focus groups and surveys until June 2019. This data was used to: 1) Construct a university-wide report on TA wellbeing (2018) 2) Create a TA Wellbeing Research Strategy (2019), and 3) Construct department specific TA wellbeing reports (2019). 

Partner: UBC Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology
Keywords: ecological systems, social sustainability, sustainable development & green economy

This project identifies the barriers of energy conservation measures through case studies. Strategies are currently being developed by BC Housing to determine the most impactful energy conservation measures that can achieve the Clean BC 50% greenhouse gas emission reduction target. Increasing the building envelope's R-Value, switching to an air source heat pump fuel source, and ventilation upgrades are impactful strategies for deep energy savings.

Partner: BC Housing
Keywords: green buildings, GHG reduction

This report seeks to examine barriers to effective green infrastructure (GI) operations and maintenance (O&M) models and aims to document best practices in developing alternative frameworks. Alternative programs include community stewardship programs and workforce development programs. Lessons learned from these alternative strategies demonstrate how GI O&M can be leveraged to provide social and equity benefits.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Keywords: access to nature, clean water, green economy

Gaps and limitations exist within the current municipal, provincial, and federal data collections on mental health and wellness. These gaps do not highlight the inequities Indigenous Peoples endure accessing quality health services. Applying Indigenous principles and concepts of health and wellness to the review of data helps to reveal and address these inequities. Recommendations include, centering Indigenous ways of knowing into research about Indigenous Peoples, by Indigenous Peoples.

Partner: City of Vancouver
Keywords: healthy city