University of Victoria

College Sustainability Report Card 2009

The campus planning and sustainability office is in the process of developing a sustainability policy and action plan. The 2007 strategic plan aims to incorporate sustainability into land use, campus planning, and purchasing. Multi-stakeholder committees, such as the campus planning committee and the sustainability policy and plan advisory committee, are involved in sustainability initiatives.

The 2006 university greenhouse gas inventory has been completed, and a 2007 inventory is underway. The university purchases green power certificates worth the first two years of annual energy consumption for every new building, as well as for approximately 5 percent of the institution's total energy consumption. The university is pursuing a number of initiatives to reduce energy consumption, including education campaigns and retrofit programs.

Dining services offers meals that incorporate local foods, as well as a few organic options. The university's comprehensive recycling program has a 56 percent diversion rate. In 2003, the university started composting all food wastes from operational activities on campus and now offers compost drop-off points for campus members.

In 2006, the university adopted sustainable development guidelines for new buildings and renovations, and several building projects have incorporated green building strategies over the past decade. The university has completed three LEED Gold-certified buildings and two more are under construction, one pursuing Gold and one Silver.

The university has made sustainability a part of new student orientation. A residence sustainability team has been created and students have been hire for several sustainability-related programs. There are several groups through which students actively promote and engage in sustainability on campus.

The university offers a universal bus pass for local transit, free membership to a car-sharing program for commuters using alternative transportation, and extensive campus cycling infrastructure. SPOKES is an innovative program that both recycles bicycles and provides them for free to campus members. Campus planning initiatives strive to encourage the use of public transit, walking, and cycling.

The university makes information on endowment holdings and proxy voting records available to the public by request, as per open records laws. This information is sent to individuals upon request.

The university aims to optimize investment return and does not invest in renewable energy funds or community development loan funds.

The university asks that its investment managers handle the details of proxy voting. The managers use sustainability as one of the criteria when voting proxies.