A Student Led Sustainability Fund @ the University of British Columbia

Justin Ritchie, Sustainability Coordinator

Elin Tayyar, VP Finance

Alma Mater Society, University of British Columbia

http://amssustainability.ca

Campus Profile of UBC + AMS Breakdown

• Located in Vancouver, BC• 47,000 students, 16,000 residents,

10,000 staff• The Alma Mater Society is the student

union at UBC • Has an annual budget of over

$25,000,000 and over 500 employees• Managed through 5 elected student

executives and oversight provided by a 40 person elected student council

• Biggest student union in Canada

UBC Campus

Student Union Building

• Over half the annual operations funded through our Food and Beverage operations

• The other half through an annual fee of $25/student

Sustainability Projects Fund

our website located @ http://amssustainability.ca

• Launched in September 2011 after a referendum passed in March

• Each student pays a $2.25/year sustainability fee

• Fund is over $100,000 through community partnerships

• Students apply online on a rolling basis, quick turnaround

Funding Methodology

• Fund is marketed to students and instructors

• Academic and non-academic projects are eligible for funding

• Multi-year projects, business plans, research all available for fund

Evaluation Criteria and Submission

Entire form is available online for submission through our website to be as paperless as possible

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Reduction of Ecological Footprint

Increased Student Engagement

Education and Outreach

Longevity and Feasibility 

Impact on Campus @ UBC

Proposals are submitted on a rolling basis and due one week before our meeting which occurs at the end of the month

Administered by committee of five:

(1) AMS executive member (2) student councilors (2) student at-large members (2) UBC campus administration representatives

Strategic Partnerships

Partnership with the UBC office of Campus and Community Planning to establish Social Solutions Fund

Students can apply for up to $40,000

Aims to provide incentives for behavior change projects and research

Partnership with the surrounding University Neighbourhoods Association to establish a Community Sustainability Fund where students can apply for up to $10,000

Supports projects on campus and in the surrounding community

Waterfillz Hydration Stations Just under 150,000 500ml fill-ups in one yearOutdoor unit pilot

$8,000

Paper Towel Composting PilotStudent volunteers

41 bags of paper towels per day

$750

Current Projects

Filters replaced once per year

Vancouver has some of the world’s cleanest municipal water for an urban environment

Student Union VermicompostingStudent research project for credit

Worms eating 10lbs per dayStaff behavior change

$1,000

Current Projects

UBC Reads Sustainability2010: Hosted Stewart Brand, David Korten,David Montgomery, Michael M’Gonigle2011: Bill McKibben, Ronald Wright, Alanna Mitchell

Scavenger Hunt iPhone/BlackberryHunt for sustainability feature on campus

For use in upcoming SUST 101 course

$1,770

Current Projects

Land and Food Systems VermicompostBuilt out of plexiglass

$2,000

Website

INSERT LARGE VIEW OF WEBSITE HERE

Questions?

sustainability@ams.ubc.ca