Knowledge and behaviour

Operations Changes 

Progress has been made in establishing an energy management plan, program and information system (EMIS). Operational standards, preventative maintenance programs, and training will support energy and water efficient measures in operations. 

University Plans 

Embedding climate change mitigation and adaptation considerations and strategies in core university plans is important for comprehensive integration. 

Key plans include: 

• University, Facilities, and Sustainability Strategic Plans

• Emergency Measures Plan

• Risk Management Plan

Design Guidelines 

Facilities Management provides design standards (link to FM’s Design Guidelines page) for building projects. Updating these standards to meet and beat energy, water and sustainability performance metrics is an important strategy. 

Space Utilization 

Maximizing existing space is a key strategy to avoid unnecessary building and to maximize underutilized space. Audits of space and equipment can be conducted to determine saving strategies for implementation including hybrid work. 

ReThink Program 

The Office of Sustainability and campus partners run regular behavioural programming under the banner of ReThink. We strive to increase the offerings from the ReThink program including:

• sustainability teams,
• energy competitions,
• social marketing tools,
• residence eco-olympics,
• employee sustainability education and events opportunities,
• and green labs. 

Ongoing Curriculum & Research 

Faculty, staff, students, and community partners are working together through class focused projects using the campus as a living laboratory. 

Student interns have been hired to research topics such as: 

• climate modeling

• life cycle impacts of fuel types

• carbon offsetting 

• climate adaptation visualization 

In recent years, specific focus has been placed on creating research and teaching spaces in new buildings and outdoor environments. Opportunities exist to expand on this approach creating a more cohesive program that engages more students.