Simon Fraser University

Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Sustainability Office
Burnaby, BC  V5A 1S6

www.sfu.ca/sustainability/office
778-782-6877 | kbell@sfu.ca

_______________________________

Our Pledge:

Curriculum and Research

• Approved a new Bachelor of Environment (BEnv), with students able to choose from Majors in either Global Environmental Systems or Environmental Resource Management.

• Corporate Social Responsibility Certificate was upgraded to become the Corporate Environmental and Social Responsibility Certificate.

• Launched a new Certificate in Environmental Literacy.

• Launched ten new sustainability-related courses, including:
  • Environmental Controversy (experiential learning, student directed);
  • Change Lab (experiential learning);
  • A World of Cities;
  • Cities, Transport and Infrastructure;
  • Urban Food Systems;
  • Environmental Law;
  • Ethics and the Environment;
  • The Archaeology of Food;
  • Management Policy for Sustainability Energy and Materials
  • Ecology and Conservation of Coastal BC

Governance

• Opened the University’s Sustainability Office in September 2012

• Established the Senior Sustainability Council, responsible for Sustainability planning and implementation equally across all six VP portfolios.

• Created the Sustainability Network to strengthen sustainability relationships across campus. Network members include the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, the Sustainability Office, Facilities Services, Faculty of Environment, Sustainable SFU (student-led not-for-profit), and Ancillary Services.

• Continued to pursue Zero-Waste initiatives, and wrote the Zero-Waste management plan. Donated 800 acres of land to the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area (57% of the original 1400 acre Area).

• Donated 800 acres of land to the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area (57% of the original 1400 acre campus).

Behaviour Change and Engagement

• Established and subsequently expanded the Green Labs Program aimed at reducing energy use in laboratories, some of the most energy-intensive buildings on campus. Laboratories in two buildings are currently part of the Green Labs Program. Ran energy reduction competitions between these buildings.

• Piloted the Sustainability Peers program for students.  Sustainability Peer Educators work to clarify and mobilize student ideas while engaging the SFU administration and the community in order to promote the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of SFU and its communities. Specifically, Sustainability Peers work alongside other Sustainable SFU staff and volunteers in order to enact real change on campus through working groups that target specific sustainability interests, such as: Academic and Curriculum, Waste, Carbon Neutral Project, Local Food and others.

• Piloted the Sustainability Ambassadors program for staff and faculty. Ambassadors play a unique role as sustainability educators and advocates within their departments. They are the connection between the SFU Sustainability Advisory Committee and the campus community.

• In 2012, became the second Fair Trade Campus in Canada, meeting Fairtrade Canada’s standards on availability of Fair Trade products, visibility on the concept of Fair Trade and the establishment of a campus Fair Trade Committee.

• Created and implemented the annual Sustainability Fair and, subsequently, Sustainability Opportunities Week to connect students with sustainability job opportunities, and to foster an understanding of how sustainability should be a part of everyone’s “work.”

• Created the Annual SFU Sustainability Awards Program.

• Piloted and refined the Green Office Certification Program for expansion in 2013.

• Integrated a sustainability section in all New Staff Orientation days.

Buildings

• Created energy performance baselines for 4 more buildings, in addition to the 8 existing building baselines, through the BC Hydro Continuous Optimization Program (C-Op Program)

• Continued to perform ongoing performance monitoring of the initial 8 buildings managed in the BC Hydro Continuous-Optimization (C-Op) Program.

• Connected 9 more buildings into the Building Energy Dashboard display system through the BC Hydro C-Op Program, for a total of 18 buildings on the program.

• Obtained BOMA BESt certification for 25 buildings on the Burnaby campus (60% of owned buildings) with 21 buildings achieving level 2 or above.

• Applied for LEED Certification for Discovery 1 building (CI), the Shrum Chemistry Major Renovation. Awaiting results.
  

• Implemented energy projects in the Library, Shrum Biology, Shrum Kinesiology and Shrum Physics. These projects included the installation of Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) into existing fan systems, and the installation of carbon dioxide sensors in the fan systems in order to better control the ventilation for the buildings.

• Completed extensive lighting retrofits in classrooms and lecture theatres, administrative buildings, parking lots, the SFU pool, and the campus Images Theatre.

• Adopted demand-controlled ventilation strategy in the Library by installing carbon dioxide sensors in the fan systems so that ventilation can be controlled based on occupancy. Migrated the building automation system of Discovery 1 and 2 buildings to SFU’s main system.

• Added lighting control motion sensors during renovations to classrooms in AQ and RC Brown Hall, and in the Advancement Offices in Strand Hall. Began pilot project in 2 South Science labs, converting these labs to motion-sensor controlled lighting. Tied lighting control systems into building automation systems.

IT Management

• Virtualized 85% for Central IT Services servers.

• Ensured all new computer and printer systems have auto-sleep settings. Old computers incapable of having auto-sleep settings will be replaced.

• Set all printers in print management to default to double-sided.

• Replaced 95% of aging computers with Energy Star Compliant machines (the remaining 5% of computers) will be replaced over time; these devices are usually kept for specialized purposes.

• Installed a general-purpose video-conferencing platform for everyone in the University.

• Made 34 efficient (LED LCD screens) mobile video-conferencing units available for staff and faculty. Increased percentage of meeting rooms with installed video-conferencing equipment

• Created 9 pilots for virtualizing activities between SFU’s three campuses, including virtualizing classrooms so students at multiple campus can attend a class; virtualizing executive and administrative committee meetings; and installing virtual capabilities in the Faculty of Education, the Library and Lifelong Learning to facilitate virtual attendance.

Paper

• Reduced emissions related to paper by 20% between 2011 and 2012; 30% recycled paper became the standard for copiers, with 65% of 8.5×11, 90% of 11×17 and 100% of 8.5×14 paper having a minimum 30% recycled content.

• Purchased 30% recycled content paper 67.5% of the time in 2012.

Procurement

• Eliminated foam containers and petroleum-based plastics from food services operations on campuses; these have been replaced by paperboard containers and corn-based plastics where take-out containers are absolutely necessary.

• Established the Go Green Container Exchange program with Burnaby-campus food-vendors to reduce on-campus take-out container waste (often Styrofoam).

• Converted to chinaware or melamine, glassware and metal cutlery for all dine-in and catering services.

• Adopted a focus on sourcing food that is fresh, local and sustainable, and “make-to-order” over “make-to-hold” practices to reduce energy use and decrease food waste.

• Expanded the LEED-EB compliant cleaning practices from the Chemistry building to all buildings and to all three campuses. The cleaning company used is carbon-neutral certified; all cleaning supplies are Eco Certified and standardized to reduce packaging and carbon footprint for transportation.

• Created an innovative agreement with on-campus print service to print custom textbooks for BC post-secondary institutions, reducing the carbon footprint associated with transporting these books from elsewhere.

Transportation

• Installed 10 electric charging stations on Burnaby Mountain through SFU-BC Government and SFU Community Trust-BC Government funding partnerships and grants.

SFU Community Trust

• UniverCity has contributed over $25.8 million to the SFU Endowment Fund for research and education.

• Built the UniverCity Child Care Center, recipient of the Urban Development Institute 2012 Award for Excellence and possibly Canada’s First Certified Living Building (certification pending).

• Launched and ran the Community Transit Pass Program (2006-2011), in partnerships with Vancity Financial Services and Translink, offering unlimited transit travel to pass holders on the regional transit network at a highly discounted price.

• Collaborated with the City of Burnaby to develop the most stringent environmental building standards bylaw in North America, requiring new buildings to be 30% more energy efficient than the Model National Energy Code for Buildings, and 40% more water efficient. Offer developers density bonuses based on energy efficiency exceeding these requirements, and good stormwater management practices.

• Put in place an award-winning stormwater management system throughout UniverCity, which mimics nature by returning almost 100% of all stormwater to ground rather than diverting it. This system aims to maintain a pre-development stormwater runoff quality and quantity to protect down-stream salmon habitat.

Governance

• Began the development SFU’s Sustainability Strategic Plan. Plan is expected to be approved in mid-2013; implementation will start shortly thereafter.

• Submit an annual Carbon Neutral Action Report for the BC Provincial Government, including a Greenhouse Gas Emissions inventory.

• Perform fleet maintenance every six months to keep all vehicles performing to maximum fuel efficiency.

• Facilities Services uses an electric bike on the Burnaby campus to commute between sites on a day-to-day basis. Trials continue on several electric trucks.

Buildings

• Continue monitoring the performance of buildings within the Energy Performance Dashboard.

• Continue to monitor and track energy performance of individual buildings (8 existing and 4 new) against established benchmarks, and identify opportunities for improved building operation based on these baselines.

• Continue to maintain and operate certified buildings up to BOMA BESt certification standards. Re-certification is every 3 years, and will be required again in 2014/15.

Fleet

• Replace aging vehicles with more fuel efficient vehicles, as needed, and as leases expire.

• Reduce size of vehicle fleet and consequently encourage more carpooling to facilities/maintenance jobs on campus.

Governance

• Begin implementation of the University’s Sustainability Strategic Plan.

Behaviour Change and Engagement

• Expand the Green Labs Program, and the newly-designed Green Labs Certification Program across all laboratories on SFU’s Burnaby Campus.

• Expand the Green Office Certification Program across the Burnaby campus.

• Expand the Sustainability Peers Program through on-campus partnerships.

• Continue to comply with Fairtrade Canada’s standards to be a Fair Trade Campus.

• Expand the Sustainability Ambassadors program.

• Continue the campus Zero-Waste committee and prepare a campus Zero-Waste Plan.

• Establish campaigns to increase sustainable procurement for office supplies.

Buildings

• Connect the Segal building at the Vancouver Campus to the Building Energy Dashboard display system.

• Extend BC Hydro Continuous Optimization program to another 6 buildings: Blusson Hall, Saywell Hall, Strand Hall, Segal Centre, Education Building and Robert C. Brown Building.

• Install more energy efficient lighting in parkades, the Library, the South and East concourses, main lecture theatres and gymnasium.

• Complete underwater pool lighting upgrade.

• Continue to optimize/improve new lighting system in the Images Theatre.

• Continue lighting upgrades as other renovations occur.

• Install carbon dioxide sensors in the AQ building for improved ventilation to reduce GHGs.

• Install motion control sensors in the Library stacks, and connect lighting control on floors 6 and 7 of the Library to the building automation system.

• Continue with South Science building pilot for converting labs to motion sensors. Add daylight controls to Centre Gym while changing lighting. Tie lighting control systems into building automation systems for 1-2 more buildings. Continue to add motion sensors during renovation projects, particularly for washrooms, offices and classrooms.