Climate change is undeniably one of the largest impacts of human behaviour and may be humankind’s greatest challenge. It will result in higher temperatures, sea-level rise, increased storm strength and occurrence, and drought that will alter food production, biodiversity, migration and human disease patterns.
Through all of our consultation sessions, nothing weighed more on our students, faculty and staff than the need for urgent and accelerated global environmental action. As a Faculty, we are passionate about finding solutions to the climate crisis and creating leaders in environmental action (strategy 17) in areas of climate, sustainability and planetary health.
Demonstrate and promote leading-edge curricula and teaching practice
- Innovative technology in the classroom
- Support learners in developing an eco-systemic awareness
- Environmentally centered curriculum
Innovative technology in the classroom
Support learners in developing an eco-systemic awareness
Environmentally centered curriculum
Amplify the synergies across our disciplines
- Strategic joint hires in emerging areas
- Solutions brought to life through diverse collaborative thinking
- Using our campus as living laboratory
- Focused planetary health research institute
Strategic joint hires in emerging areas
Solutions brought to life through diverse collaborative thinking
Using our campus as living laboratory
Focused planetary health research institute
Demonstrate an authentic commitment to Truth and Reconciliation and value traditional ways of knowing
- Co-developed curricula which respects Indigenous traditional knowledge
- Community of trust developed via dialogue and knowledge sharing
- Indigenous partnerships grounded in respect and land-based learnings
- Traditional ecological knowledge supporting environmental health
Co-developed curricula which respects Indigenous traditional knowledge
Community of trust developed via dialogue and knowledge sharing
Indigenous partnerships grounded in respect and land-based learnings
Traditional ecological knowledge supporting environmental health
Nurture the entrepreneurial mindset and venture creation to support innovative and transformational solutions
- Integration of Design Thinking principles within each of our Faculty’s disciplines
- Entrepreneurship fellowships for grad students & faculty
- Innovation developed by combining creativity with market intelligence
- Entrepreneurship supported in communities of all sizes
- Clean energy solutions and ventures
Integration of Design Thinking principles within each of our Faculty’s disciplines
Entrepreneurship fellowships for grad students & faculty
Innovation developed by combining creativity with market intelligence
Entrepreneurship supported in communities of all sizes
Clean energy solutions and ventures
Advance disciplinary knowledge and the translation of research and innovation for societal impact
- Research which looks across the entire system, lifecycle and journey or a person or patient
- High impact research identified through community engagement
- Leaders in built environment adaptation
Research which looks across the entire system, lifecycle and journey or a person or patient
High impact research identified through community engagement
Leaders in built environment adaptation
Collaborate with purpose in strategic, long-term partnerships
- Strengthened internal & external partnerships via shared projects
- Projects which bring together all partners with ‘pieces of the puzzle’
- Support model for developing and sustaining long-term partnerships
- Partnerships to connect environmental conditions and health outcomes
Strengthened internal & external partnerships via shared projects
Projects which bring together all partners with ‘pieces of the puzzle’
Support model for developing and sustaining long-term partnerships
Partnerships to connect environmental conditions and health outcomes
Promote advocacy and agency to effect change in partnership with local and global communities
- Investment in strategic student-led activities
- Community portal to tackle challenges in context of needs
- Grassroots initiatives that scale
Investment in strategic student-led activities
Community portal to tackle challenges in context of needs
Grassroots initiatives that scale
Strengthen the Faculty’s testbed approach for developing campus, city and community solutions
- Clean energy ventures & solutions
- Campus as a city-scale testbed for leading-edge tech and policies
Clean energy ventures & solutions
Campus as a city-scale testbed for leading-edge tech and policies
Support leadership in environmental sustainability, climate and planetary health
- Weaving nature back into cities through strategic design
- Delivering high impact collaboration while reducing carbon footprint
Weaving nature back into cities through strategic design
Delivering high impact collaboration while reducing carbon footprint
Connections + context
We are training the next generation of professionals who will be dealing with the reality of a changed climate. Our students need to understand how to design and create a built environment appropriate for the new climate. They must also be able to quantify the impact of human behaviour on planetary health to develop and deploy state-of-the-art decision-making, policies and technologies (Leading-edge teaching, 1).
UBC ranks first in the world for university climate action and third for sustainable cities and communities. In 2018, it became the first university in Canada to develop a sustainable development policy and achieved a 38% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions despite a 32% growth in the student population. Our Faculty is building on this success, creating a city-scale testbed for leading-edge technologies and policies to address climate change (Community solutions, 16).
“We can make UBC Applied Science a leader in sustainability both within UBC and Vancouver by implementing sustainable practices within our curricula, and supporting students, faculty and staff in making green changes.”
Faculty member, School of Nursing
We integrate disciplines (2) and support teams of educators and researchers with impactful research (12) in health, technology, planning and design who are seeking comprehensive solutions for thriving people, places and planet. A green future will require sustainable mining, integrated energy systems, new policies driven by data, and radical changes in the built environment.
We support entrepreneurial thinking (11) to develop the bold new technologies and services needed to both mitigate and respond to a changing climate, and promote agency (15) for actions that will have tremendous social and economic impact.
While we are committed to this cause internally, we cannot do it alone. We are establishing strategic partnerships (14) with leading-edge clean tech companies, resource industries, Indigenous communities, the transportation sector, municipalities and health providers to enable the transition to a low-carbon economy. These partnerships ensure our research supports human health, traditional ecological knowledge (Truth & reconciliation, 8), and prosperity while addressing environmental changes.
Applying the Plan
Preserving our planet by building Canada’s largest passive housing complex
The School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture is working with UBC Properties Trust and UBC Campus and Community Planning to design one of Canada’s largest passive residential building developments. The six-storey, wood-frame building will have 111 rental units, and the project team will collect performance data to further develop best practices.
ETA Lab passive housing project
Applying the Plan
The smart membrane: a new weapon against oil pollution
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed a low-cost, reusable membrane that can be used to separate oil and water on demand and with near-perfect efficiency. The new technology may make processes such as industrial wastewater treatment, oil spill cleanup and fuel purification considerably easier and less costly than before.
A new weapon against oil pollution
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