PowerPoint Template

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The University of Victoria as a Change Agent in
a Global Movement towards Sustainable Food
Systems
Sarah Webb Office of Campus Planning
Sustainability
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Office of Campus Planning Sustainability

• Our Office Vision
• To improve quality of life by ensuring that
  sustainability is integral in the University of
  Victorias operations, teaching, research and
  community partnerships.

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Why The Campus?

• The unique combination of
• Physical Space Infrastructure
• Education
• Research
• Community Partnerships

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2008 was a turning point year for the University
of Victoria
Sustainability is where we achieve the ecological
balance that allows economic prosperity and
social development to be achieved across
generations.
UVic has set sustainability as an institutional
priority
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THE MANDATE
UVic Sustainability Policy Provides our
institutional commitment to sustainability and
empowers individuals and teams to take action in
all areas of university life.

• Sustainability Action Plan Campus Operations
  2009 2014
• Establishes strategic priorities in campus
  operations.
• Outlines resourcing strategies
• Includes vision, principles, goals, sample
  actions and indicators of success

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Principles for Sustainability

• Respect for Mission
• Respect for Place
• Respect for History and Culture
• Respect for People
• Respect for Future Generations
• Respect for Natural Systems
• Respect for Energy, Water Natural Resources
• Respect for Collaboration
• Respect for Transparency Accountability

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Plan Topic Areas Campus Operations

• Grounds, food, and urban agriculture
• Waste
• Water
• Energy and climate
• Transportation
• Buildings and renovations
• Purchasing and social responsibility
• Governance, decision making, Sustainability
  Resources

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Focus on Grounds, Food and Urban Agriculture
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Why Food?

• Food is a concrete way of dealing with
  overwhelming problems like climate change. One
  carrot grown is one less carrot transported
  across the country one local beet bought is one
  local farmer supported one meal shared is one
  connection formed.
• The University of Victoria is proud to offer a
  number of products from local bakeries, suppliers
  and food distributors.

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Our Vision

• An organically landscaped and managed campus that
  enhances biodiversity and offers healthy, local
  and diverse food choices.

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(Some) of Our Goals

• Increase accessibility to healthy and diverse
  food options.
• Review and assess the opportunities for locally
  produced and other low impact food options to
  be made available on campus.
• Create a program to coordinate and support
  academic study and research in our campus
  landscapes by 2010.
• Increase spending on organic and fair trade food
  and beverages

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• A sampling of
• where we are at now

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Campus Community Gardens

• Created in 1998
• More than 200 volunteers annually
• 18 garden beds 3 communal plots

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Vegetarian / Vegan Restaurant

• Sweet Greens is one of the busiest restaurants on
  campus!
• Focused on residential community but open to any
  student, faculty or staff member.

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Campus Pocket Markets

• Held 2 times per week at Student Union Building
  in partnership with Food Roots.
• Aim to expand in Fall 2009 to include other
  products such as local meat, fish and dairy

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Institutional Purchasing Collaborative

• Institutional Partners on Vancouver Island
• Executive Director of UVic Purchasing is Steering
  Committee Head
• Request for Proposals initiated for vegetables,
  fruit, meat and dairy products grown or raised on
  Vancouver Island

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Local Food Festivals

• Island Chefs Collaborative Defending Our
  Backyard
• Chefs from some of the finest restaurants on
  Vancouver Island are working together with
  producers from all over the Island to raise
  public awareness of the importance of local food,
  supporting local farms and investing in our
  backyard.

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Edible Landscapes

• More recently UVic has started experimenting with
  edible landscapes as a part of nature-scape
  program.
• Pilot projects located around campus (and on roof
  tops!)
• Being monitored for maintenance issues, rabbit
  and deer attraction etc.

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Academic Non-Credit Courses

• Division of Continuing Studies
• Sustainable Gastronomy
• Permaculture
• Organic vegetable gardening
• Canning and Food Preservation
• Environmental Studies 200
• Sustainable Food Systems

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Food Systems Research

• Vancouver Island Community Research Alliance
• Signed in May 2009 between RRU, VIU, UVIC, NIC,
  and CC
• Focused on community sustainability research
  technology and knowledge transfer
• Key priorities include housing/homelessness,
  climate change and food systems

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• Some of our challenges

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University Cedar Hill Corner

• Balancing student and community interests with
  institutional realities.

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Foundations for Helping Us Get There
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DEVELOP A REVOLVING SUSTAINABILITY FUND

• Best practices in this area show us that a
  revolving fund, guided by an advisory committee,
  and comprised of contributions from the
  university, students, business partners,
  government and the broader community is the most
  successful.

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COORDINATE INDICATOR REPORTING AND DEVELOP CAMPUS
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT CARD

• Regular reporting will show the university
  community where our strengths and weaknesses are
  and allow us to effectively continue the
  conversation on where we need to go to reach the
  goal of sustainable campus operations.

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DEVELOP A PROGRAM TO FACILITATE SUSTAINABILITY
ACTION TEAMS ACROSS CAMPUS.
UVic will create a program that will focus on
effective peer to peer education involving
students, faculty and staff.
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www.uvic.ca/sustainability