History of sustainability at UVic
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.