univalberta

Theuniversity’sOfficeof Sustainabilityfocuseson threeareas: facilitiesandoperations,teachingand research,andembeddingsustainabilityintothecampus experience.This isaccomplished inpartbypromoting thecampusasa“living lab”for theexplorationandad- vancementof sustainablepractices.“Thereareabout30 student clubsoncampus that areconnectedtosustain- ability,”Innes says.“For example,there’sanenergyclub thatbrings invisitingspeakers toexplorenewtechnol- ogies; there’saneco-car team; there’sanenvironmental andconservationsciences students’association.They all haveslightlydifferent areasof focus,basedontheir connectiontotheir studiesand interests.” “Wealsohaveaveryclose relationshipwithSustain SU,which is thestudent sustainabilityservice runout of theStudents’Union,”Innescontinues.“Weworkwith thembysponsoringselectedprograms.Theyrunabike library,wherestudents,staff,andfacultycanborrow bikes.Thebike libraryalsooffers tools,resources,and educationtohelppeople learnhowto fixtheirbikes. SustainSUalsorunsa reusabledishprogramandwe providedthe fundingtosupport thatwork.Wealso collaboratecloselyonaStudentSustainabilitySummit thathappenseach January,wherewebringtogether students fromaroundtheprovince tohaveadeepdive intoparticular sustainabilitytopicsandtodeveloptheir change-agencyskills in leadingsustainabilitywork.” “Someof thoseenergyclubs,inparticular,Iwill reach out to ifwe’reworkingonsomeuniqueor special initiative,orwherewemayneeda lotof foot soldiers togatherorperformanalyticsondata,”Versteegesays. “So,wedoengage theenergyclubs,quiteoften.And THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA therearea lotof opportunities tobringstudents,fac- ulty,andresearchers into lookator studywhatwe’re doing,especiallyonnewor emergingtechnologies.So, our facilitiesandour infrastructurebecomepartof the research.” “There isanundergraduate research initiativewhere studentscanopt intoworkingonprojects thatwe’ve identified,”Innesadds.“WehaveaSustainabilitySchol- arsprogram,where,withtheCityof Edmonton,and Stantec(an international designandconsultingcom- pany),weplacegraduatestudents toworkonsustain- abilitychallengesover thesummer.The idea is that the researchandworkthat they’redoingwill be immedi- atelyapplied inthat institution.There’sawhole rangeof projects that thescholarswouldworkon—everything fromdrainingstructures tosurplus foodredistribution, togreenrenovation,andsoon.” AnotheroneofUofA’s institution-wideprograms is itscommunitygardens.“Weactuallyhaveanumberof themacrossour campuses,”Innes relates.“Oneof them isagardenwithglobal impact.TheGreenandGold gardenfundraises for sociallyandeconomicallymargin- alizedwomen inRwanda; theysell theirproduceand sendthemoneyoverseas.Oneof ourgardens iscalled