Sustainability Scholars Program

The Township of Langley plans to develop a corporate building energy policy for new and major renovations for city-owned and operated buildings. The intent of this project is to mainly focus on creating a corporate building policy that is centered on BC Energy Step Code adoption for Part 3 buildings. Research was conducted to identify the corporate building policies of other local governments in British Columbia, and understand which type of facilities these policies apply to, what are the capital cost related implications of adopting these policies, and what are their associated benefits.

Partner: Township of Langley
Keywords: green buildings

To achieve the Upper Steps of the BC Energy Step Code, builders will need to adopt techniques and incorporate substantial changes in building design, layout, framing techniques, airtightness, system selection, and materials. The objective of this research project was to identify and formulate market segmentation approaches that would support more strategic outreach, education and training opportunities for different builder segments on high performance new construction, including sessions related to the BC Energy Step Code.

Partner: BC Hydro
Keywords: green buildings

Despite recent progress made toward greater self-sufficiency, healthy community design, and economic development, Indigenous communities in Canada experience ongoing challenges including high energy costs and inadequate housing. This research is intended to 1) identify current practices in Indigenous community energy planning and implementation and determine where additional support for such efforts is needed, and 2) provide recommendations on how BC Hydro can assist Indigenous communities in advancing conservation and energy management. 

Partner: BC Hydro
Keywords: green buildings, social sustainability

In an effort to promote energy efficiency in the real estate sector, the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board initiated the Real Estate Energy Efficiency Program (REEP) in 2014. The program is designed to teach energy literacy to REALTORS® so they can incorporate energy efficiency seamlessly into the sales process. Approximately 80 home energy assessments were completed in select Vancouver Island communities as part of this program. This project looked into these energy assessments to understand better whether rebates and incentives provide additional benefit to the homeowners.

Partner: Vancouver Island Real Estate Board Nanaimo
Keywords: green buildings, sustainable development & green economy

This project estimates the quantity of fat, oil, and grease (FOG) from household food waste entering the regional wastewater system of Metro Vancouver. The FOG loadings were calculated using data from food diaries where the residents of the region registered the food they disposed of ‘down the drain’ (i.e., through sinks, food grinders, and toilets), and the fat content of the food, using nutritional information databases. 

Partner: Metro Van
Keywords: food systems, waste management & recycling, water

Transportation accounts for 42% of the Vancouver region’s total greenhouse gas emissions. While efforts to encourage alternative modes of transportation are ongoing, the private automobile is still the dominate mode of transportation in the Vancouver region and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Metro Vancouver is prioritizing the electrification of vehicles at both the corporate and regional level. This report aims to provide insight into best practices in EV adoption strategies in order to inform the development of a Metro Vancouver Electric Vehicle Roadmap.

Partner: Metro Van
Keywords: transportation

Fungal pathogens are natural components of healthy forest ecosystems, nevertheless, they can have a negative environmental and ecological impact when large areas of forest are affected. The purpose of this project was to estimate the extent and virulence of K. deusta in the Metro Vancouver region, to characterize the rate of spread of the disease within and between trees, to determine if climate change may be a contributing factor to its virulence, and to identify strategies for the management of the disease within Regional Parks.

Partner: Metro Van
Keywords: ecological systems

Beverage choices are influenced by the “food environment,” which is characterized by the variety, price and quality of food and beverage options present at the consumer level (National Collaborating Center for Environmental Health, 2015). The UBC Okanagan campus is unique in its setting and food environment. This is a preliminary report on the administration of the Perceptions of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Survey at UBC Okanagan. The final results from this project will inform implementation of a Healthy Beverage Initiative (HBI)  and guide the development of strategies that specifically enhance UBC Okanagan’s environment.

Partner: UBC Wellbeing & UBCO, Voice 4
Keywords: food systems, sustainability in education

The purpose of the project was to develop a community resilience framework (CRF) and explore the ways in which the Centre for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) at UBC contributes to the various processes, experiences, and outcomes linked to community resilience. The CRF is intended to serve as an assessment tool that can be utilized to facilitate reflexivity and collaboration that will enable the Centre to orient its programming toward building community resilience.

Partner: UBC Wellbeing & Centre for Community Engaged Learning
Keywords: social sustainability