On April 22, the world celebrates Earth Day to promote environmental citizenship and a healthy, sustainable planet. Below are a round-up of UBC events and experts available for Earth Day interviews.
UBC EARTH DAY EVENTS
UBC launches composting for campus residents
UBC now provides composting for more than 1,000 campus apartment and townhouse homes in partnership with University Neighbourhoods Association.
A pilot version of the program was the first in Metro Vancouver to bring compost service to multi-unit residential dwellings. In the last year alone, the program has diverted nearly 50,000 kg of organics from the Metro Vancouver landfill to UBC’s in-vessel composter, reducing waste, greenhouse gas emissions and saving on fertilizer costs.
Contact: Darren Duff
UBC Building Operations
604.822.0439, 604-250-1581 (cell)
UBC Point Grey Beach Clean-up
Volunteer staff from UBC Health, Safety and Environment will pick up garbage and recycle refuse along Point Grey-area beaches from 3-6 p.m. on Earth Day. Last year, the group collected more than 150 kilograms of plastic, metal, glass and refuse.
Contact: Craig Smith
UBC Health, Safety and Environment
604.822.5909, smith@hse.ubc.ca
Celebrate Earth Day at UBC Botanical Garden
On Saturday, April 24, UBC’s Botanical Garden and Plant Research Centre will offer sustainability-focused tours of the Garden and the Greenhart Canopy Walkway, the only treetop walkway of its kind in Canada. Receive 25 per cent off regular admission from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Contact: Katie Teed
UBC Botanical Garden
604-822-4208, kteed@interchange.ubc.ca
ubcbotanicalgarden.org
EARTH DAY EXPERTS
PERSONAL SUSTAINABILITY
Prof. Kai Chan
Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability
604.822.0400, 778.838.9820 (cell), kaichan@ires.ubc.ca
- Understanding sustainability of products based on environmental impacts
- Biodiversity
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
Prof. John Robinson
Executive Director, UBC Vancouver Sustainability
604.822.9188, Cell: 604.307.7374, johnr@ires.ubc.ca
- UBC’s bold greenhouse gas reduction targets, which include zero GHGs by 2050: http://bit.ly/UBCGHGtargets
- UBC’s Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability, to be the greenest building in North America when completed in 2011, and a recipient of Treehugger’s Best of Green Award: http://www.cirs.ubc.ca
- How UBC was the first Canadian university to meet Kyoto Protocol targets
- Sharing the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore as part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
- UBC’s new sustainability initiative: http://www.sustain.ubc.ca
- Sustainable living
Prof. Patrick Condon
School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
604.822.9291, Cell: 604.737.4209, patrick.condon@ubc.ca
- The seven rules for sustainable communities, from his new book of the same name
- UBC Design Centre for Sustainability (DSC), which employs applied research to advance sustainable, low carbon community design and implementation.
- DSC’s award-winning 100-year sustainable plan for the City of North Vancouver
- DSC’s Sea-to-Sky GreenGuide, which collects leading-edge examples of “greening” the built environment around Metro Vancouver: http://seatoskygreenguide.ca/
- Transportation
Kristi Tatabe
Project Manager, Collaborative for Advanced Landscape Planning
778.554.4148, kmtatebe@interchange.ubc.ca
- Interactive, science-based visual simulations of climate change’s impacts on communities
- How to increase public engagement around climate change
- Urban planning, renewable energy solutions
- Visit: http://www.calp.forestry.ubc.ca/
CONSERVATION
Prof. Amanda Vincent
UBC Canada Research Chair in Marine Conservation
604.827.5137, a.vincent@fisheries.ubc.ca
- Nominated for the $100,000 Indianapolis Conservation Prize
- Project Seahorse, an international organization that uses endangered seahorses to focus efforts in finding marine conservation solutions
- Marine ecology, zoning and policy development
FOOD SYSTEMS
Prof. Art Bomke
Land and Food Systems
604.822.6534, fert@interchange.ubc.ca
- Soil and sustainable agriculture
- Local food systems
- Composting and organics
- A pilot crop rotation project that is improving soil quality in the Fraser Valley
CLEAN ENERGY
Prof. David Wilkinson
Director, UBC Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC)
604.822.4888, dwilkinson@chbe.ubc.ca
- CERC, UBC’s state-of-the-art research facility for the investigation of clean energy problems and the development of environmentally-friendly solutions
- Renewable energy (hydro, wind, solar, geothermal, bioenergy)
- Cleaner methods of utilizing non-renewable energy
- Energy conversion (engines, fuel cells)
- Energy storage (capacitors, batteries)
- Energy materials
- Energy-related emissions (pollution control, CO2 capture and removal)
- Energy efficiency and conservation (industrial, communities, transportation)
GREEN BUSINESS AND CARBON MARKETS
Prof. James Tansey
UBC Centre for Sustainability and Social Innovation
UBC Sauder School of Business
604.827.4443, 604.822, 8625, james.tansey@ubc.ca
Prof. Peter Nemetz
MBA Program in Sustainability
Sauder School of Business
604.822.8443, peter.nemetz@sauder.ubc.ca
CLIMATE MODELING
Philip Austin
Earth and Ocean Science/Geography
604.822.2175, paustin@eos.ubc.ca
To find more UBC experts, visit www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca. For more information UBC and sustainability, visit: http://www.sustain.ubc.ca
