By Adam Donnelly

Thompson Rivers University recognized as global leader in sustainability

Oct 29, 2018 | 5:18 PM

KAMLOOPS — Earlier this month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned the planet is on the verge of a global climate catastrophe, and that bold action is required to avert the looming crisis.

Here in Kamloops, Thompson Rivers University is doing their part to limit their impact on the environment. On Monday, they broke the news they’ve been recognized as a global leader in the field of sustainability by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

“I’m more than thrilled to announce that Thompson Rivers University has reached the Platinum threshold two years ahead of schedule,” TRU Vice President of Administration & Finance Matt Milovick told those at the press conference. “Our STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) score is the highest score of participating universities across the globe.”

The university received a gold STARS rating back in 2015, and after that tailored their sustainability plan to match the criteria the STARS program laid out. Participants are measured in five different areas of sustainability: Academics, Engagement, Operations, Planning & Administration, and Innovation and Leadership.

“We did a whole bunch of audits around waste and energy and water, course content. Everything right across the scope,” TRU Director of Sustainability Jim Gudjonson explained. “Then we put plans in place in the various departments, and because it was a strategic priority from the  President down we allocated the resources that we needed to make progress in each category.”

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Milovick says it’s taken a concerted effort in some specific areas from the entire TRU community to reach those goals.

“We’ve really moved the bar on our waste,” Milovick said. “We’re diverting thousands of tonnes of waste from the landfill into recycling and composting… And then our greenhouse gas emissions, I think we’ve reduced it by 60% in the last four or five years.”

Jim Gudjonson, Director of Sustainability at TRU credits the work of the Sustainability Office to help draw attention to the issue at the institution. He also credits the student body for adopting those sustainability initiatives.

“They want [susatainability] incorporated into their day-to-day work,” Gudjonson said. “It’s important for us to listen to what the students want and help shape the future leaders that are going to be dealing with the impact of climate change in the years to come.”

With a 1.5 degree Celsius increase in the global temperature now predicted by 2030, understanding what people can do to mitigate their impact on the climate is more important than ever.