UNBC is once again being nationally recognized as one of Canada’s greenest employers.
“At UNBC, we strive to lead a sustainable future through the excellent education we offer our students, the groundbreaking research led by our faculty and through the partnerships we nurture with the communities we serve,” said UNBC President Dr. Geoff Payne.
“We also demonstrate our commitment to sustainability through our actions at our campuses, including the award-winning Bioenergy Plant that reduces our greenhouse gas emissions, our Continuous Optimization program that has reduced our electricity consumption and the Green Fund that supports student- and employee-led sustainability initiatives.”
According to the University, they have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 60% of what they were in 2007.
Since 2010, they’ve reduced electricity use by 42%, natural gas consumption by 73%, and utility costs by 50%.
“The Canada’s Greenest Employers award recognizes the involvement of UNBC’s students, faculty and staff in ensuring we are leaders in sustainability,” says UNBC Vice President Finance and Administration Rahim Somani. “From student research projects that turn into sustainability initiatives, to employees using their expertise to come up with exciting new sustainability initiatives, it takes a team effort to be Canada’s Green University.”
UNBC was the only employer in northern BC to crack the list.
The selection criteria for the list, compiled annually by Mediacorp Canada Inc., includes:
- the unique environmental initiatives and programs they have developed;
- the extent to which they have been successful in reducing the organization’s own environmental footprint;
- the degree to which their employees are involved in these programs and whether they contribute any unique skills;
- the extent to which these initiatives have become linked to the employer’s public identity, attracting new employees and clients to the organization.