EXPLORE/CONNECT
Ecology and
sustainability
in your daily
life
Food, transportation, recreation and
other daily choices
Practical tips and resources to explore
Revisiting the Ecological Footprint and
ecology principles/concepts to date
What is happening at UBC, in the local
community and beyond to help us make
informed decisions and/or get involved?
Start with your list
At UBC
Local community
In Canada
In the world
• Generally, or more
specific to
something in your
life:
• 1 example for each
‘level’
My example:
At UBC
• Bike kitchen
Local community
• Volunteer for Green
Thumb Theatre
In Canada
In the world
• Learn more about the
Green Party
• Coral reefs of the world
- enjoying while
reducing impact
Fleming Beach, Maui
• Rated America’s ‘best beach’ in a recent
top ten poll (June 2006)
• According to Stephen Leatherman,
director of Florida International
University’s Laboratory for Coastal
Research
After you have made your
list…
• Add one more item to each level and add
resources or actions based on the knowledge
in the room and material we will look at in
slides and handouts
• You may add a comment, question or
criticism to one resource or proposed action
In an upcoming class….
Recent announcements at the civic,
provincial and federal govt. levels about
programs to address sustainability,
climate change and related ecological
issues:
Good, bad, other? Why? How?
UBC in relation to the
world…..
Sustainable Endowments
Institute
• Compiled the College Sustainability
Report Card (January 2007)
• UBC rated B- for ‘greenness’
• A in administration, climate change and
energy, food and recycling and green
buildings
• F in endowment transparency and
shareholder management
How could we have done
better?
• Used UBC’s endowments to change
corporate governance practices
• Made public statements about
investigating or investing in renewable
energy funds or community
development loans
But the good news…
• UBC was described as a ‘campus
sustainability leader’, along with 26
schools in the US, including Harvard
and MIT
Endowmentinstitute.org
What is happening at UBC?
ECOTrek: water and energy retrofit
(cost $35 million, will save $2.6 million in energy
costs each year)
Low-flush toilets
Upgraded lights and heating systems
Steam plant burner replacement (reduced
greenhouse gases by 80%)
Local examples?
1. Green Cities Project: $40 million fund
from province to advance municipal
projects….such as:
Bike paths, greenways, disabled access,
children’s parks and playgrounds
Local examples?
2. 100-mile diet: Alisa Smith and James
MacKinnon
For 365 days, eat only foods/beverages
produced within a 100-mile radius of
their Kits apt.
www.thetyee.ca www.100milediet.org
Local examples?
Recycling on several fronts:
Computers for Schools
Product Care - paint + other hazardous
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp.
GVRD: ‘101 things to do with all your
old stuff’
Look at your phone book
• Super Pages
• Home pages section includes ‘Choices
for Wiser Living’
• Many examples here of ‘ecology in your
daily life’
Wackernagel, M. and W. Rees. 1996. Our ecological
footprint. Reducing human impact on Earth. New
Society Publishers. Gabriola Island.
Ecological Footprint defined:
Accounts for the flow of energy and
matter from/to a defined ‘economy’ (e.g.
your life) and converts it to land/water
area required from nature to support
these flows
Examples from other parts of
Canada
1. Cross-Canada studies:
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
• Measured EF of 20 major urban regions
(Dec., 2005)
• Avg. Canadian was 7.25 ha/person
• 1.9 ha/person of productive land/sea is
available (on the planet)
• Energy demands = 55%
(38% by industry)
• Transportation = 35%
(12% commercial,business)
Solutions?
• Drive less; increase
walking/cycling/carpooling/using public transit
• Eat locally grown food
• Retrofit buildings to save energy
• Use renewable energy and energy-efficient
vehicles
2. Other organizations
Canadian Federation of Independent
Grocers
• Presents at an annual trade show
• Examples include Ethical Bean Coffee
Company - to expand into mainstream
supermarkets
3. Local groups in specific
areas
Sunshine Coast Conservation Association
• Brochure on living toxin free
www.thescca.ca
4. Canada-wide initiatives
Bird Studies Canada, in partnership with
Bird Life International
Christmas Bird Count, Breeding Bird
Survey, etc.
10,000 volunteers in Canada each year
Around the world
1. Global Footprint Network
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/
Mission: to support a sustainable
economy by advancing the EF, that
makes the reality of planetary limits
relevant to decision-makers throughout
the world
Around the world
2. Imaginative Travelers’ Volunteer Program
www.trekescapes.com
Work with local people on various projects,
such as Habitat for Humanity, improving
schools or protecting local water supply with
composting toilets
3rd World Urban Forum
(established by the UN)
• Held in Vancouver June, 2006
• Addressed rapid urbanization and its
impacts on communities, cities,
economics and policies
http://www.unhabitat.org/wuf/2006/default.
asp