UBC Undergraduate Research

Assessing the sustainability of the UBC campus Cheng, Katherine; Gershtein, Ina; Hewko, Sarah; Martinolich, Katie; Pinkerton, Kirsten; Sivapatham, Jana; Su, Jenny

Abstract

The UBC food system is a microcosm of the greater global food system, reflecting the way in which food is often processed, transported, viewed, purchased, eaten, and how wastes are handled on a global scale. The group has developed a tool by which sustainability of the UBC campus may be periodically assessed. Six indicators have been selected from three categories: ecological, social, and economic. Each indicator is described in terms of importance and measurability. The selected indicators include recycling, composting, ecological footprint, food miles, nutrition, and food affordability. It is hoped that the tool will be useful to future sustainability researchers on UBC campus, in particular the UBC Sustainability Office, which is continuously working towards the goal of improving campus sustainability. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada