Prince George, B.C. – Canada’s Green University is once again one of Canada’s Greenest Employers. For the 10th time, the University of Northern British Columbia received the honour for its leadership in sustainability.  

“We are Canada’s Green University because our UNBC community is committed to working together to find ways to make our operations efficient and sustainable,” says UNBC President Dr. Geoff Payne. “This award recognizes the initiative our students, faculty and staff demonstrate when they develop creative solutions that allow UNBC to continue to be a leader in environmental stewardship.”  

Recently, UNBC created the Green University Strategic Task Force to shape the continuing evolution of UNBC as Canada’s Green University. Chaired by Dr. Ronald Camp, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics, the committee will develop a strategic vision for sustainability at UNBC.  

“This task force will look at sustainability through the triple bottom line lens. Namely, how the decisions we make impact people, the environment and the University’s financial capacity,” Camp says. “UNBC is well placed to lead by example in its operations, as well as through research and scholarly activity, share solutions with others across northern British Columbia and around the world.”   

UNBC earned the award based on its unique environmental initiatives and programs; its success in reducing its environmental footprint; the involvement of its employees in its environmental programs and how its identity as Canada’s Green University helps to attract and retain students and employees.  

One example of the many sustainability initiatives UNBC has launched focuses on reducing energy consumption. Working with BC Hydro, UNBC has seen significant energy reductions through the Continuous Optimization Program. By upgrading and retrofitting key systems, equipment and controls in buildings at the Prince George campus, UNBC realized more than $250,000 in annual savings over the last two years and has seen a reduction in annual electricity usage of 1.7 million kilowatt-hours per year (enough to power about 150 Canadian homes for a year) and 7,000 gigajoules of fuel energy (enough natural gas to fuel about 80 homes per year). UNBC is also in the midst of a multi-year upgrade of its heat exchangers resulting in a more efficient system that uses less energy and is maintenance-friendly.  

Earlier this year, Mediacorp named UNBC as one of B.C.’s Top Employers.