University of Victoria achieves sustainability gold as one of Canada’s greenest employers

The University of Victoria has joined an elite group of Canadian employers committed to advancing sustainability. UVic is included in this year’s list of Canada’s 100 Greenest Employers, and is the only organization from Victoria.

“The University of Victoria is extremely proud to be recognized as one of Canada’s greenest employers,” says Mike Wilson, director of campus planning and sustainability. “Our faculty, staff and students have shown a remarkable commitment to sustainability, and we actively integrate and apply sustainable policies and procedures throughout our campus operations.”

Sustainable initiatives that supported UVic’s selection include:

• Actively engaging employees in sustainable initiatives through the UVic Staff Sustainability Network and Sustainability Advisory Committee;
• The Sustainability Action Plan: Campus operations that requires ongoing monitoring and reporting systems to measure environmental initiatives and progress;
• 2016 Campus Plan, which features a renewed commitment to a walkable campus;
• Campus waste reduction, composting and recycling programs that have achieved a 30 per cent reduction in paper use since 2010 and a goal towards a zero-waste campus;
• Integration of sustainability into hundreds of undergraduate and graduate courses and experiential learning programs;
• Green procurement strategy, including 100 per cent organic and fair trade coffee and tea, and 28 of 32 local food supply agreements;
• Green building accreditations, including LEED Gold certification for all new construction, including seven certified buildings since 2008.

UVic also recently achieved its second gold rating in the Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS). The 2017 score maintains UVic’s gold ranking, originally established in 2014, and makes it the second highest-rated university in Canada. Read the story.

The UVic 2016 Progress Report on the Sustainability Action Plan: Campus Operations 2014 – 2019 and related reports.

Canada's Greenest Employers competition, now in its tenth year, is organized by the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project.

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