When you hear the word sustainability, what comes to mind? Saving the planet? Planting trees? Recycling? All of these are elements of environmental sustainability, but that’s just one part of the larger vision of Sustainability.
We like to think of Sustainability as being 3 connected parts: Environmental sustainability, Economic sustainability, and Social sustainability.
Environmental sustainability occurs when processes, systems and activities reduce the environmental impact of an organization’s facilities, products and operations. Examples of this include energy or resource conservation, pollution prevention, and waste minimization, to name a few.
Economic sustainability involves making sure the business or organization generates revenue, but also that business operations don't negatively impact the long-term environmental or social sustainability goals of the business or community.
Social sustainability is a process for creating successful places that promote wellbeing, by understanding what people need from the places they live and work. This encompasses topics like: social equity, livability, health equity, community development, social capital, social support, human rights, labour rights, placemaking, social responsibility, social justice, cultural competence, community resilience, and human adaptation.
While Environmental sustainability is usually the star player, it is a combination of all three of these parts that makes an organization truly sustainable. And that is what your UASU is striving for. Last March, your Students’ Union campaigned for a Sustainability fund which was approved by students. This fund enables your UASU to create changes in SUB that will make this building a sustainability front-runner on campus, and hopefully, an example to universities across the country.
We plan to focus on the Environmental and Social aspects of sustainability, because in doing so, Economic sustainability will follow. Within Environmental sustainability, we are focusing on reducing our carbon footprint, lowering our energy and water usage, and reducing waste. Social sustainability will encompass 2 significant concepts: Accessibility and Wellness. Accessibility is the process of creating products that are usable by people with the widest possible range of abilities, operating within the widest possible range of situations. This is about making things accessible to all people (whether they have a unique need or not). Wellness is more than being free from illness, it is a dynamic process of change and growth...a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.
Right about now, you may be saying, “This sounds good, but what do I get out of it?” What you get out of it is a sustainable space that serves the needs, goals, and beliefs of your campus community. When you support a business or service in SUB, you are doing your part to support the economic, environmental, or social sustainability of your campus.
Over the next few years you will see a variety of initiatives put in place, some will be obvious contributors to sustainability, and some will be less obvious. You’ll have to put up with some construction and mess along the way, but we think it will be worth it. So climb on board our sustainability train, we’ve got a fun ride ahead!
Follow along each month as we dive deeper into what we are doing, and how it contributes to your goals for a sustainable campus.