We’re pleased to announce that for the 14th consecutive year, UBC is recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers in 2025!
Canada’s Greenest Employers is an annual competition that recognizes Canadian employers leading the nation in creating a culture of environmental awareness, developing exceptional sustainability initiatives, and attracting employees because of their environmental leadership.
The competition evaluates organizations based on (1) their unique environmental initiatives and programs; (2) their success in reducing their environmental footprint; (3) the degree to which employees are involved in and contribute their skills to environmental programs; and (4) the extent to which their initiatives are linked to their public identity and attraction of new employees.
Three reasons why UBC is selected as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers this year:
- UBC offers a wide range of focused environmental initiatives across campus to foster a culture of sustainability among staff, students and the community — programs include sustainability tours, the Green Labs program promoting sustainable behaviours, and a 24-hectare certified organic farm featuring over 200 varieties of crops
- UBC is accelerating green building performance and regenerative design across its campus through the Green Building Action Plan, aiming to achieve a net-positive contribution to human and natural systems by 2035 — as part of the plan, all new construction and major renovations for institutional buildings must be LEED Gold certified, with some projects also targeting additional certifications such as Passive House and WELL Building Standard
- UBC’s formal employee-led Sustainability Coordinator Program works to implement sustainable practices across the university — participants commit to dedicating two to four hours of paid work each month to advancing climate action within their departments
UBC’s Okanagan campus offers guided or self-led campus Sustainability Tours, which takes visitors to a series of sustainable stations around campus.
At UBC, we are committed to leadership in climate action and embedding sustainability in our teaching, research and work, as well as through our operations and infrastructure. Our sustainability efforts, programs, and initiatives are collaboratively delivered by key partners, faculty, staff, students and residents:
- Campus and Community Planning and UBCO‘s Sustainability Office are dedicated to building a vibrant and sustainable community for everyone who studies, works, lives and creates at UBC. They are responsible for operational sustainability and develop action plans and initiatives for managing land use, energy, water, carbon emissions, waste reduction, transportation, etc.
- The Sustainability Hub builds on UBC’s academic and operational sustainability leadership and works to reinforce the university’s goals to inspire action for a better world. This unit focuses on catalyzing change and supports faculty and staff with programs, reports, resources, and events for learning, knowledge sharing, and engagement for the UBC community and beyond.
- Campus as a Living Lab is an approach that integrates operational and academic sustainability by providing a collaborative framework for faculty, staff, students and partners to address urgent global sustainability challenges in our local campuses.
In addition to being recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers this year, UBC is also recognized as one of BC’s Top Employers and one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers.
See also:
- Looking to join UBC? View our careers and job postings.
- Learn more about Climate Action Plan 2030 at UBC Vancouver and Okanagan.
- Read the 2023/2024 Annual Sustainability Report, an overview of sustainability activities and highlight achievements at UBC’s Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.
- See what Sustainability Funding Opportunities are available to faculty, staff, students or residents for initiatives that support environmental and social sustainability.
- Check out the Sustainability Dashboard to see UBC’s sustainability performance across academic, operational, and community-focused areas of work