Sustainable initiatives

In our location on the rugged west coast, we are surrounded by mountains, ocean, green spaces and incredible biodiversity. It inspires us daily to emphasize sustainability in our teaching, our research and the way we plan and manage our campus.

UVic’s Strategic Framework

The UVic Strategic Framework promotes sustainable futures for our university and community. It provides strategies that open the pathway to set specific targets, goals and policy directives to make UVic a global leader in environmental, social and institutional sustainability.

UVic is developing a new Climate and Sustainability Action Plan. The plan will guide our integrated sustainability practices and will respect and value Indigenous ways of knowing and being.

Sustainability on campus

We're promoting sustainability across campus with decisive climate solutions and innovative programming. We’re guided by our Sustainability Action Plan. Our programming is specifically designed to meet the targets outlined in the plan.

Our community's dedication to sustainability drives us to constantly improve, both as individuals and as an institution. We created the Campus Sustainability Fund to provide UVic staff, faculty and students with financial assistance to carry out sustainability initiatives on campus.

All of our new buildings meet the LEED Gold standard, one of the highest green building ratings in the world. This includes our new Student Housing and Dining Project, which targets LEED Gold and Passive House standards, the most rigorous global building standards for sustainability and energy efficiency.

Sustainability research

Across the board, UVic research is at the forefront of sustainability breakthroughs. We’re a global leader in research in the areas of clean growth, climate sciences and ocean health. The 2020 Times Higher Education impact rankings placed UVic fourth among the world’s universities for climate action.

UVic's Institute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic) leads research on sustainable energy solutions, including fuel cells; energy efficiency; alternative energy sources; and large-scale, long-term analysis of how policy and technology can work together.

The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), hosted and led by UVic, is a multi-university initiative. It brings together experts from academic, government, industry and society to develop climate policy solutions for BC and beyond.

The Centre for Social and Sustainable Innovation (CSSI) focuses on education and research for a sustainable and responsible approach to business.

Sustainability in the classroom

Sustainability is a key part of every major field at UVic. Our emphasis on hands-on learning lets our students research and implement their own sustainability initiatives.

We offer a range of dynamic undergraduate and graduate programs focusing on the environment and sustainability.