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History of sustainability at UVic

medical sciences building
The Medical Science Building was the first LEED Gold building on campus

In 2000, UVic officially took on the responsibility of reducing environmental impacts by creating the first sustainability coordinator position. Since then the university has been a leader in the field of sustainability, leading to numerous successful milestones:

  • 2004: UVic's first LEED Gold building was certified.
  • 2006: UVic's first Sustainability Report was published. 
  • 2007: The first greenhouse gas inventory was completed. 
  • March 2009: The Board of Governors approved the first Sustainability Policy. 
  • June 2009: The first Carbon Neutral Action Report was published, which continues to serve as the annual report on the university's carbon reduction action. 
  • Late 2009: The first Sustainability Action Plan: Campus Operations was published. 
  • 2010: Facilities Management created the Waste Reduction Unit and Energy Manager Program. 
  • Mid-2011: the Revolving Sustainability Fund was created to help fund energy reduction projects. 
  • Late-2011: The first Waste Audit was completed by the Waste Reduction unit, and the Energy Manager began the process of upgrading university buildings. 
  • 2012: The first water audit was completed. 
  • January 2014: The university achieved a Gold Rating through the Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS). 
  • Early-2014: The second Sustainability Action Plan: Campus Operations was published. 
  • Late-2016: The mid-term update on the progress made on the Action Plan goals was published. 
  • January 2019: The Campus Cycling Plan was approved. 
  • December 2019: The Campus Greenway: Landscape Plan and Design Guidelines was approved. 
  • January 2020: The Sustainability Action Plan was renewed for the 2020-2021 period, and the university began planning for its first comprehensive Climate and Sustainability Action Plan.