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As part of its new Strategic Vision, the University of New Brunswick plans to become a leading institution in sustainability.

UNB Fredericton’s Campus Sustainability Plan (CSP) is the first of its kind for a post-secondary institution within New Brunswick and provides a road map of how UNB will meet this goal.

The plan focuses on four key areas:

1. Academics;
2. Engagement;
3. Operations; and
4. Planning & Administration

These areas align with the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS) developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. This framework measures the sustainability performance of colleges and universities from around the world and was used to create a baseline condition from which to create the plan.

Following the completion of the STARS framework, a gap analysis was performed to compare UNB Fredericton’s score to that of other Canadian institutions that had also completed STARS reports. Based on the findings of this analysis, proposed actions were developed to make up a draft plan.

The draft plan was then put to the UNB Fredericton community to identify the opinions on which strategies should be implemented first. A survey was developed to gather this feedback. In total, 10 per cent of the UNB Fredericton campus community completed the survey. With the plan only covering a five-year period, some of the strategies were removed based on this feedback and saved for subsequent plans.

UNB Sustainability will monitor and report on this plan by resubmitting to the STARS framework. A CSP is also being produced for UNB’s Saint John campus. The STARS submission is currently being completed and the plan is projected to be launched in the spring of 2021.

“UNB is committed to keeping sustainability at the forefront of all our planning — whether it be through environmental stewardship, reducing our carbon footprint or climate adaptation,” says Dr. Paul Mazerolle, UNB’s president and vice-chancellor. “UNB Fredericton’s CSP, like our Strategic Vision, is both bold and informed by our community. By investing equitably and sustainably, we are working to improve the lives of New Brunswickers and Canadians.”

Media contact: Kelsey Pye

Photo credit: Jeff Crawford/UNB