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UNBC recognized as 1 of Canada’s greenest employers

UNBC worked on lowering its energy consumption in partnership with BC Hydro
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University of Northern British Columbia’s Prince George campus. (Photo courtesy UNBC)

The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) has been named one of Canada’s greenest employers for the 10th time by the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project in recognition of its leadership in sustainability.

UNBC, which calls itself ‘Canada’s Green University’ was recognized for its environmental initiatives, success in reducing its environmental footprint, and involvement of employees and students in environmental programs.

University President Geoff Payne said students, faculty and staff have developed “creative solutions” to make operations efficient and sustainable. UNBC worked on lowering its energy consumption in partnership with BC Hydro.

By upgrading and retrofitting key systems, equipment and controls in buildings at its Prince George campus, the University says it took home more than $250,000 in annual savings over the last two years. UNBC said it reduced annual electricity usage by 1.7 million kilowatt-hours per year — enough to power about 150 Canadian homes for a year.

The University said it also reduced its fuel consumption by 7,000 gigajoules of fuel energy — enough natural gas to fuel around 80 homes per year. UNBC is upgrading its heat exchangers for a more efficient system that uses less energy and is maintenance-friendly.

The University recently created a task force chaired by Faculty of Business and Economics Dean Ronald Camp to “develop a strategic vision for sustainability.” Camp said the task force will look at sustainability through “the triple bottom line lens” of how decisions impact people, the environment and the university’s financial capacity.

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