Published monthly by the University Neighbourhoods Association
Volume 2, Issue 2
FEBRUARY 22, 2011
Popular Mountie Makes Residents Receive UNA Support In Quest to Retirement Move Revise Hospice Location In UNA motion, UBC is urged to choose site other than next door to Promontory
PHOTO: DON ERHARDT
The mostly-Asian residents of the Promontory condo building who want UBC to relocate the site of a proposed hospice on campus have received the support of the University Neighbourhoods Association. Meeting on February 8th, the UNA board of directors passed the following motion, “That the UNA Board of Directors, after studying the UNA’s ESL Committee Report on the Promontory and the Order of St. John’s Hospice, February 2011, urges UBC to reconsider the choice of the Promontory site and consider selecting another site.”
In Chinese, this motion reads, UNA董事会毫无保留地支持社区临终 医院，并认识到这是一个学术项目； UNA董 事 会 ， 在 听 取 了 UNA的 ESL 委 员 会 在 2 0 11 年 2 月 提 交 的 关 于 Promontory和 圣 约 翰 临 终 医 院 的 报 告后，敦促UBC重新考虑位于Promontory的 选 址 并 考 虑 选 择 其 他 地 址 . The UNA board also approved a second motion at its meeting. This motion reads, “That the UNA Board of Directors unreservedly supports community hospices and recognizes that this is an academic project.”
MOTION continued on Page 7
Staff-Sergeant Kevin Kenna enters dining room on recent occasion of farewell dinner in his honor at UBC. St.-Sgt. Kenna retires after 38 years on force—last five commanding University detachment on Wesbrook Mall. RCMP piper in full red Serge uniform walks ahead of him.
Kevin Kenna, veteran of federal force was in command of University detachment for five years Kevin Kenna, the popular Mountie who commanded the University detachment of the RCMP on Wesbrook Mall, has retired. Staff-Sergeant Kenna spent 38 years with the federal force—the last five at UBC where his firm but friendly manner won him wide appeal. The UBC and University Endowment Lands (UEL) communities turned out in strength to laud the veteran Mountie at a farewell lunch on campus recently. Accolades abounded. A son of the Maritimes with lilting accent to prove it, Staff-Sergeant Kenna dealt efficiently and courteously with those he sought to protect at UBC and the
UEL. The detachment under his leadership takes considerable credit for the low crime rate in the area. Family members attending the farewell lunch included wife Maureen English, daughter, son-in-law and grandchild. An RCMP member dressed in full Red Serge uniform piped him into the dining room. Later, to much applause, St.-Sgt. Kenna and the piper toasted each other with shots of whiskey. St.-Sgt. Kenna arrived at UBC after numerous postings back East, not the least of them years spent in the RCMP intelligence section in Ottawa. (Please see photo presentation of the farewell lunch on Page 5).
President Predicts Hospice Site Debate Likely at April Meet University is “seeking to understand cultural sensitivities” of would-be neighbours of hospice; only “genuine” sensitivities will be respected The much-anticipated discussion by the UBC board of governors about the site of a proposed hospice on campus seems set for early April. UBC president Stephen Toope predicted at a recent meeting. The board had expected to discuss the hospice project in February, but the University deferred discussion following objections to the siting of the proposed hospice next door to the Promontory condo building by as many as 200 mostly-Asian residents of campus. Professor Toope told a committee meeting of governors on February 1st that UBC considered the current deferment
of formal discussion about the project to be only “a pause, one in which we make sure we understand the cultural sensitivities of residents.” Prof Toope said, however, that in this learning process, UBC will seek to understand only “those (cultural sensitivities) which are genuine.” The UBC president dispelled any notion that UBC was cancelling its interest in building a hospice on campus land due to heated opposition by the residents about the proposed location next door to the Promontory in Hawthorn Place. PRESIDENT continued on Page 7
UBC China Partnership Pledges ‘Green’ Demo Centre In Condo Complex Condos will be built in Wesbrook Place; one of the largest property developers in China is involved The strategic partnership which has emerged recently between UBC and
one of the largest property developers in China looks forward to building a mixed-use residential complex on campus so devoted to new, green technology it will include a sustainability research and development demonstration centre. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) at UBC, and
Modern Green Technology Co. Ltd., of China, the partners in this development planned for the Wesbrook Place residential neighbourhood in South Campus, expect construction to begin this summer. A spokesperson in the UBC campus and community planning department said the project is “currently in the design stage.”
CIRS and Modern Green announced the Wesbrook Place residential development February 4th as part of a “strategic partnership” to advance green building research and development at UBC, thanks to an initial contribution of $3.5 million from the Beijing-based company. PARTNERSHIP continued on Page 11
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THE CAMPUS RESIDENT FEBRUARY 22, 2011
Student Says ‘Thank You’ to UNA For Talent Show Support The immense gratitude of UBC students to campus residents for financial support in staging a recent talent show whose proceeds went to charity came across at a meeting in February. Bijan Ahmadian, immediate past-president of the (student) Alma Mater Society, attended the February 8th board meeting of directors of the University Neighbourhoods Association (UNA) at the Old Barn Community Centre to thank the UNA for providing the $10,000 funding needed to jump-start production of the recent UBC’s Got Talent at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts on campus. “Thank you,” Mr. Ahmadian said. “Thank you again.” Mr. Ahmadian had appeared before the board in October to solicit financing. UNA funds in hand, he and other AMS executives set about raising further funding and preparing the talent show held January 14th. Preparations included marketing the planned event to both the student and neighbourhood communities on campus. As a result, the AMS received video presentations from 124 contestants performing across the entertainment spectrum. Organized by the AMS, a panel of se-
nior members of the Vancouver entertainment industry whittled down the number of contestants eligible to perform at the concert to 16, and these 16 performers took the stage at the splendid Chan Centre. More than 1,110 people attended the sold-out talent show. As well as musical and other acts, those attending the successful talent show viewed a video about the UNA prepared specially for the occasion. Both UNA representatives and UBC students appeared in the video. Mr. Ahmadian advised UNA board members the UBC United Way Fund raised “a record $695,000” this year, with UBC’s Got Talent providing “some of that amount.” He called the UNA funding a good investment. “Now, students understand what the UNA is about,” he said. The AMS represents over 44,000 UBC students as well as students at affiliated colleges. The AMS operates student services, student owned businesses, resource groups, and clubs. In addition to offering services to students, the AMS is an advocate of students’ issues and ensures the needs of students are presented to the University administration and the federal, provincial, and municipal governments.
PHOTO: DON ERHARDT
$10,000 from UNA was used to jump-start recent UBC’s Got Talent production; UBC United Way Fund was beneficiary of concert.
Bijan Ahmadian, past-president of Alma Mater Society, says students are grateful to residents for talent show funding.
free re-usable shopping bag to anyone who brings an item to recycle (while stocks last)
UNA Community
E-Waste Drop Off Day
recycle
Saturday 5th March 2011, 11am-3pm what household items can be recycled? small batteries mobile phones computers computer monitors laptops computer accessories audio/video equipment for a full list, please see www.encorp.ca/acceptable
no commercial equipment please
in the parking lot - 5945 Berton Avenue
BBQ with all proceeds going to the
Children’s Hospital
THE CAMPUS RESIDENT FEBRUARY 22, 2011
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Letter to the Editor Where should Hospice Go?
Published monthly by the University Neighbourhoods Association
Published by:
University Neighbourhoods Association #202-5923 Berton Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6S OB3
Editor & Business Manager
John Tompkins 604.827.3502 jtompkins@myuna.ca
Residents Request Same Fair Treatment as UBC Students Hospice issue can be easily resolved; correct choice of location is possible The challenging question has arisen, should UBC abandon the Promontory site for location of its proposed 15-bed hospice because of concerns by residents of the Promontory? We believe it should. A little over a year ago, UBC abandoned the idea of a site for the proposed hospice on Southwest Marine Drive because of concerns by student-residents of nearby St. John’s College and Vanier Place. The UBC board of governors should accord the same measure of sensitivity to the concerns of Promontory residents as they did to student-residents regarding the Southwest Marine Drive site. The UBC students expressed concern the location of a hospice on Marine Drive would constrain student life in that part of campus. The Promontory residents have expressed concern the location of a hospice next door to them would constrain family life in their part of campus. A simple solution offers itself to this problem. The UBC board of governors should consider it, and get away from the headache and heartache of trying to decide whether Chinese cultural reservations about having a hospice next door to them are inconsistent with—or not consistent with—UBC ideals and values. Before the painstaking process of identifying options for where the UBC hospice might be located began two or three years ago, the Order of St. John charity—which offers to fund construction of the $4.2 million facility—expressed its preference for a site adjacent to the parking lot in the UBC Botanical Garden. We understand only one party expressed concern with this choice of location, and this compelled UBC to go searching for alternative sites. Ultimately UBC identified eight possible sites for the hospice. When none of them met the standard required of a first-class hospice site, it turned to the vacant patch of land on Stadium Road beside the Promontory at 2688 West Mall. In fact, this site does not meet the standard either for it lies directly across the Stadium Road from the entrance to Thunderbird Stadium, hardly the ideal neighbourhood for a hospice. The concerns of mostly Chinese and Korean residents of the Promontory— who say they cannot live with the idea of a hospice next door to them for reasons having to do with their culture and belief system—make the site only doubly unsuitable. To solve the dilemma of where to put the hospice, UBC should reconsider the
Botanical Garden site. No doubt some red tape would need to be cut to take a small parcel of ‘green space’ in this tranquil garden setting and convert it into ‘green academic’ (research) space. No doubt also, someone would express concerns about choice of the UBC Botanical garden for the hospice site. But given the concerns of students about the Southwest Marine Drive site and given the concerns of residents about the Promontory site, we think the UBC board could exercise its authority prudently to get this parcel of land properly designated for location of the Order of St. John Hospice.
Vancouver Child Care Resource and Referral (VCCRR) Have you considered offering child care in your home? Are you already looking after children other than your own in your home? The VCCRR Caregiver Outreach Coordinator can help you set up a registered Licensed Not Required family child care in your home. An Outreach Coordinator is now at UBC to help you get started.
For more information contact Shawn Nygren Phone: 604.341.7575 (Wed, Thurs, Fri) E-mail: snygren@wstcoast.org The Old Barn Community Centre - 6308 Thunderbird Blvd.
Regarding the discussion over the site of the proposed hospice at UBC, one resident of the Promontory is quoted as saying, “In China, we build ‘hospices’ very far away. It takes you two to
three hours to get to the place of death.” The point is where is the preferred location of the proposed hospice in a university setting---in Canada. Angela McWhirter Point Grey Resident
Water Meters Would Make UBC Greener Public is in favour of water conservation; this is good time to bring REAP water guidelines up to date
The pressing need to conserve water at UBC, not just to reduce the cost of purchasing it, but also to protect this precious resource, suggests an amendment is needed to the building code by which homes at UBC are constructed. This code, made at UBC for property developers to follow when building at UBC, bears the name REAP (Residential Environmental Assessment Program). Currently, developers need install neither hot- nor cold-water meters in markethousing at UBC since installation is only an optional REAP requirement of gaining a permit to build there. UBC should consider making both types of water meters mandatory for new construction. Developers have built over 3,000 homes at UBC since the first home was built in Hampton Place in 1995-6. In the 15 years since that historic first development, the great wave of sustainability has washed over campus, and UBC views on conserving water have taken an oceanic leap. The time has come for REAP to catch up. The next 3,000 homes to be developed on campus should come with REAP-mandated water meters—both hot and cold. The presence of a water meter in the home motivates its residents to conserve water. When we see how much we are using,
we tend to use less—that is human nature. Conversely, if suites at UBC are not individually metered, then campus residents will not have a clear idea of how much hot or cold water they are using. If the popular ‘Green’ movement means anything, it means that people are ready—through the use of meters—to better understand their use of water and consider ways of using less of it. A side benefit also recommends the water-metering of individual suites. Currently, strata corporations buy water in bulk from UBC and then deliver it ‘retail’ to individual residences in their buildings, save that, without being able to read meters in individual suites, they don’t rightly know what to charge. So, they charge according to the size of a suite. This leads to massive unfairness. An older citizen living alone in a larger suite will have larger payments for water via his—or her—maintenance fees than a boisterous family of four living in a smaller suite. This leads to resentment among neighbours. UBC has started to draft an Water Action Plan to better manage this precious resource of water. What better way to get REAP guidelines updated than by including in this plan the expressed need for mandatory metering of new homes at UBC instead of optional.
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THE CAMPUS RESIDENT FEBRUARY 22, 2011
Bill to ban oil tankers on northern B.C. coast is set to be debated in March in House of Commons; Liberal MP for Quadra Joyce Murray is proponent Vancouver Quadra Liberal MP Joyce Murray has announced that C-606, her private Members’ bill to ban oil tanker traffic off B.C.’s north coast, has been officially approved for debate next month. “We are now one step closer to a legislated oil tanker ban on B.C.’s north coast – the only way to protect our oceans and communities from a catastrophic oil spill,” stated Ms. Murray. “If disaster were to strike in our northern coastal waters, B.C. – and Canada as a whole – would never be the same.” Bill C-606 legislates a crude oil tanker ban in the dangerous inland waters around Haida Gwaii known as Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound. The bill would not affect current deliveries of diesel and other oil products to local communities. “We’ve witnessed the Gulf of Mexico and Exxon-Valdez oil spills. It’s just not worth the risk,” stated Ms. Murray. “In perfect conditions, industry considers 15 percent recovery of oil a success.” Bill C-606 is expected to be debated toward the end of March. In the time leading up to its debate, Ms. Murray will be meeting with local communities and stakeholders in B.C. to gain further support for the protection of B.C.’s north coast. A 2010 Mustel poll finding indicated that eight of ten British Columbians support a tanker ban on B.C.’s north coast. “I am reaching out to all Parties to support Bill C-606 and I urge all Members to support protecting our oceans and our communities,” added Ms. Murray.
PHOTO: MARTIN DEE
Tanker Ban Motion Moves Up Agenda
UBC Chancellor Sarah Morgan-Silvester stays on for three more years
Sarah Morgan-Silvester Reappointed Chancellor of UBC Chancellor is ceremonial head of University; terms are for three years
Sarah Morgan-Silvester has been reappointed for a second threeyear term as Chancellor of the University of British Columbia. Ms. Morgan-Silvester was first appointed in April 2008; her next term will begin July 1, 2011 and end June 30, 2014. The Chancellor is the ceremonial head of the university. Ms. Morgan-Silvester will confer all degrees and will continue to serve on both the Senate, responsible for the university’s academic governance, and the Board of Governors, responsible for managing the property, revenue and business affairs of the university. “Ms. Morgan-Silvester has been an outstanding leader and ambassador for UBC over the past three years,” said UBC President Stephen Toope. “I look forward to working with her during the next three years as the university continues to create an exceptional learning
environment and support outstanding research to serve the people of British Columbia, Canada and the world.” As required by the University Act, the university Chancellor is recommended by the UBC Alumni Association and members of the university’s Council of Senates. The UBC Board of Governors must approve the recommendation. “Throughout her first term as Chancellor, Ms. Morgan-Silvester has been committed to UBC and has brought fresh perspectives and ideas to the university,” said Alumni Association Chair Miranda Lam, who also chaired the committee to consider Morgan-Silvester’s reappointment. “There was overwhelming support for her reappointment.” “Ms. Morgan-Silvester’s reappointment is recognition by the UBC community of the excellent job she has done in representing the university,” said Bill Levine,
Chair of the UBC Board of Governors. Ms. Morgan-Silvester graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Commerce in 1982. She has had extensive experience in the financial services and transportation sectors. She is a leading community volunteer with a background in education, health, environmental and economic organizations. She is currently chair of Port Metro Vancouver and BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre Foundation, and a director of a number of other corporate and not-for-profit boards. The Chancellor has been recognized for her contributions to society with a number of awards including the Association of Women in Finance Lifetime Achievement Award, Influential Women in Business Award, and Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Award.
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THE CAMPUS RESIDENT FEBRUARY 22, 2011
Day to Remember for Staff-Sergeant Kenna Photos by Don Erhardt
UNA CHAIR SHARON WU AND KEVIN KENNA. RCMP works closely with the UNA to ensure residents get best police protection.
RCMP TOAST Celebratory shots of whiskey.
RED SERGE Piper in ceremonial uniform and Kevin Kenna—followed by wife Maureen English—enter UBC dining room.
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THE CAMPUS RESIDENT FEBRUARY 22, 2011
A Particular Problem
It is not unusual amongst recent Chinese and Korean immigrants, for one parent, almost always the father, to settle the family (the wife and child or children) in their home in Canada and return to his country of origin. He returns to work as he has to earn income sufficient to support the family and the purchased property. Work prospects in Canada for these “returnees” are a challenge. Their professional or business credentials are not readily accepted in Canada. Their facility with the English language is poor. The husbands return to Canada as they can to visit with the family. This arrangement, driven by economic necessity, may last for some time. The result is that a family comprised of a mother, living alone with her children, is at present the family structure for at least forty one of the families in the Promontory—almost one half of the families! This number may be larger than elsewhere because the Promontory, alone among all our present UNA residential developments, has a full time security guard which may be a large factor for such families in choosing a residence. Taylor interviewed over 30 of these mothers in the Promontory one on one. The children are enrolled in school. In this way they meet other children and make friends all in the structured context of the school program. It is often not so easy for the mother. Some, too few, meet the challenge of learning English and engaging other activities so she can begin to integrate into her new community. Many are overwhelmed by their situation. They are alone, in a strange new world, solely responsible for the care of the child or children. They do not speak the language. They find making their new life a challenge and, not infrequently, depressing. As a result of interviewing them they report that the prospect of the hospice has had these impacts: 1. Significant depression, many fear dying on a regular basis (and related feelings) and are recently on medication; 2. Interruption of sleep and the inability to sleep save with sleeping pills since the recent news of the introduction of the hospice; (one child who had been sleeping on her own for 2 years has recommenced sleeping with her mother: 3. A large number of children now refuse to go out at night, or walk to school (whereas they used to) or to walk anywhere near the proposed site. Many of the children are now regularly talking to their mothers about their fear of death; and 4. Two children refuse to permit there to be any open windows (the practice in the families was to have windows open).
One particularly troubling case is a family, the mother and daughter reside here the father (husband) is in Mainland China), who had been living in King Edward Place in Vancouver. The daughter developed a very serious illness and the mother also became ill. The mother hired a Feng Shui master to advise. He advised that their illness was caused by where they were living and that they should move. The mother immediately listed their residence. It has not yet sold but she immediately located a new home and moved out. The mother knew some people at UBC and two who lived in the Promontory who all told her what a quiet, beautiful community it was in which to live. Less than a month ago, she bought a suite at the Promontory. Within a few days she first heard of the hospice. This person, because of her deep belief in Chinese cultural traditions (and the use of a Feng Shui master) had already dislocated her home to this presumed better place. Because of her beliefs, she is now facing a situation where she will have to move again. Thus the comment of a recent Chinese immigrant ESL student (not connected to the Promontory) that “for Chinese children, Canada is a paradise. For the mother, it is often a beautiful prison.”
PHOTO: DON ERHARDT
The following excerpt from ‘Report by ESL Committee on Promontory and Order of St. John Hospice’ is in reference to problems experienced by many Asian residents of the Promontory condo building faced with the proposed development of a hospice next door to them; author of report is Jim Taylor
Jim Taylor is writer of Report by ESL Committee on the Promontory and Order of St. John Hospice.
UNITED STANCE These residents of the Promontory and other buildings in Hawthorn Place attended the Open House pres UBC campus and community planning department to showcase plans for 15-bed hospice to be funded by Order of St. John ch organization in January. They support the idea of a hospice at UBC but not at the site next door to them.
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THE CAMPUS RESIDENT FEBRUARY 22, 2011
m at the Promontory
sented by haritable
UNA Acts to Bring Groups of Neighbours Closer Together ESL committee is formed; active on many fronts
THE PROMONTORY The condo building of 94 suites at 2688 West Mall has become focus of intense debate about where to put St. John Hospice. Mostly new immigrants to Canada from China and Korea live in the building. On cultural grounds, they oppose location next door to them. MOTION continued from Page 1 Following the meeting, Jan Fialkowski, UNA executive director, said she will notify the campus and community department at UBC of the motions in a letter. Meanwhile, Stephen Toope, UBC president, says he expects the UBC board of governors to discuss location of the hospice at its next meeting in early April. (Please see Page 1 story ‘President Predicts...’) The ESL committee, whose report the UNA board studied, consists of Don Cho, Florence Luo, Stephanie Nesbitt, Jim Taylor (chair) and Katherine Xu. Mr. Taylor, a Hampton Place resident and senior Vancouver lawyer, wrote the report. The 25-page report, containing information provided by both UBC and the mostly Asian residents of the Promontory, lists eight sites that UBC has considered as options for location of the proposed 15bed Order of St. John Hospice, including one at Southwest Marine Drive and University Boulevard adjacent to St. John’s
College (not to be confused with Order of St. John). In the fall of 2009, the University first short-listed this Southwest Marine site and then abandoned it following—in the words of a senior UBC planner—“concerns from Pacific Spirit Park/ Wreck Beach groups and student concerns about constraints on campus life.” After abandoning the idea of this Southwest Marine site for the hospice, UBC turned to the vacant patch of land beside the Promontory, a condo building of 94 suites largely occupied by new immigrants from China and Korea. Now, expressions of concern about this choice of site have arisen among these Promontory residents who say this choice of site beside their homes clashes with their beliefs about death and dying. In the ESL committee report, Mr. Taylor writes, “If the UBC board of governors, thus fully informed, particularly given the experience with the St. John’s
College site (on Southwest Marine), had acceded the same sensitivity to the Promontory residents and their dilemma that it had shown to the St. John’s College students, would the board of governors have adopted the Promontory site?”
The new ESL committee of the University Neighbourhoods Association began work in late 2010 to ensure the community of UBC residents does more to address two issues: • first, what is agreed to be the most important and the most difficult issue—the estrangement or separation of new Canadian neighbours (the large majority being the most recent wave of Chinese immigrants) from the rest of the community; and • second, ensuring that there are more ESL opportunities for new Canadians. As the committee reports, historically the UNA has offered an impressive number of ESL activities. Many of these are offered for free. These activities include English (ESL) conversation clubs (both beginner and intermediate) where new Canadians learning English have an opportunity to converse in English; ESL classes (both beginner and intermediate); a newcomers orientation in both Mandarin and Korean; a Newcomers’ Guide printed in simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese and Korean; and a Lunar New Year celebration (which generally attracts about 200 participants). Just recently, partly as a result of the work of the ESL committee, the UNA has undertaken a series of new activities. These involve: Mandarin classes for English-speaking Canadians; Newcomers’ Lectures (the first lecture was held in January on the topic of the Canadian legal system); an English conversation club for people entirely new to English and ESL (that is, trying to involve new Canadians who have not been participating in any of the ESL programming offered by the UNA); Community Centre Program Guide registration guidelines in Chinese and Korean; ESL Resource Sheets on the UNA website; and a Newcomers’ Section on the UNA website.
PRESIDENT continued from page 1 “We are just delaying discussion by a short time, probably it will come before the next board meeting.” According to the president, the controversy over whether UBC had paid enough—or should have paid more—attention to how residents of the Promontory and other condo and townhouse complexes in Hawthorn Place feel about the proposed Promontory location for the hospice “seems to have died down.” He said comments supportive of the
UBC proposal to go ahead with the hospice next to the Promontory by some prominent members of the Chinese community in Vancouver may have had something to do with this. Prof. Toope also said UBC was gratified with supportive editorial commentary in both the Vancouver Sun and the Globe and Mail. “UBC is in a relatively comfortable place,” he said.
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THE CAMPUS RESIDENT FEBRUARY 22, 2011
Sustainability Corner Two new UBC sustainability initiatives are underway; residents are afforded opportunities to participate In my previous column, I discussed the results of a UBC waste audit that the UNA participated in. Now, in part as a response to that audit, UBC is initiating two major initiatives relevant to UNA residents. Over the coming year, UBC will be developing Waste and Water Action Plans to divert waste and reduce water consumption at the Vancouver campus – and the UNA has been invited to participate. So what might this mean for UNA residents? Before examining that question, it’s helpful to understand why is it important for UBC to focus on water and waste at this time. According to Action Plan discussion papers, UBC has instituted programs that now result in diversion of more than 2.5 million kilograms (kg) of waste per year from the waste stream (approximately 44%). Much of that was recycled, but also includes nearly 0.5 million kg of organic waste that was composted locally (more than 10% of which, I’m pleased to say, came from homes in our UNA neighbourhoods). While that diversion is laudable, it’s estimated that over 3 million kg of UBC waste still goes to landfill every year. As with waste diversion, UBC has had success with reducing water consumption, with total consumption decreasing by 20% between 2000 and 2007, in spite of an increase in floor space and population. However, UBC still consumes more than 4 billion litres of water annually from our regional water system, with the UNA neighbourhoods responsible for approximately 10% of that total. Water is also expensive – UBC currently pays approximately $2.5 million per year for water consumption. So, in spite of good progress, it’s clear there is still significant opportunity to divert waste and reduce water usage at the UBC campus. The waste audit results suggest that for UBC and the UNA, more than 80% of the remaining waste is potentially divertible to recycling or compost. Further, nearly all of the water used on campus is potable (safe for human consumption), but much of it is used for nonconsumptive purposes such as landscape irrigation, equipment cooling and toilet use. The ultimate goal of the Waste and Water Action Plan process is to identify ways to turn these opportunities into reality. The process includes a public visioning and
Planners Prepare to Write ‘Waste Action Plan’ Ideas sought at public workshop on campus; workshop held February 10th
Ralph Wells priority setting phase (including a community Open House) and a planning phase with UNA participation. The final reports are expected to be complete by fall 2011. For UNA residents, this could mean more opportunities for participation in composting and e-waste programs, and for ways to divert rainwater for landscape irrigation, to name a few examples. Regardless of specific outcomes, success will ultimately require residents to consider their participation in recycling, composting and water conservation at home – so UNA participation in the Action Plans will need to focus on ways to support you in making those choices. To find out more, you can visit the UBC Campus Sustainability web page (sustain. ubc.ca/campus-sustainability), and watch future editions of The Campus Resident. Opportunities for public involvement will be also be posted on myuna announcements, our e-newsletter, (visit www.myuna.ca to subscribe if you haven’t already done so). Ralph Wells Sustainability Manager RWells@myuna.ca
SUSTAINABILITY CONTEST Are you a UNA resident who would like to provide a practical tip on how each of us can contribute to sustainability? Be sure to submit your idea to the UNA Sustainability Contest at sustainabilitycontest@myuna.ca. The author of the tip selected will receive a $25.00 gift certificate (courtesy of Save-On) for use in our local Save-On Supermarket and at the end of the year there will be a significant prize for the year’s winner. This month’s tip is: “Dryer balls are an effective way of getting laundry to dry faster (5 – 10% savings in drying time), thus reducing energy consumption. These spiky rubber balls fluff out laundry as it spin dries. They’re readily available across the Lower Mainland.” WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE PARTICIPATION AND SUPPORT OF ONE OF OUR COMMUNITY’S PARTNERS IN SUSTAINABILITY, WESBROOK PLACE’S SAVE-ON SUPERMARKET.
The University of British Columbia has a strong record in the field of waste management. This said, it wants a stronger one, and to achieve it, UBC has taken the first step towards creating a Waste Action Plan. This first step involved the public in a workshop held February 10th to help establish a long-range vision for solid waste materials at UBC and the types of actions required to achieve this vision. The second step will come in March and April when input received at the February session will be reviewed and considered by Working Groups in preparation of a draft Waste Action Plan. The third step comes in the summer with completion of the draft plan. The fourth— and final—step will see action on the waste management front with the rallying cry almost certain to be ‘Zero Waste!’ This might mean zero waste by 2015. It might mean by 2016 or later, but it will certainly mean by a targeted date not far in the future. UBC already has well-established recycling programs which actively turn waste into resources. Blue and grey bins collect paper, cans, bottles and plastics for recycling. UBC Waste Management also recycles special items including light bulbs and tubes, batteries, wood and metal. UBC’s desk-side recycling program challenges people to take responsibility for reducing their own office waste. The My Waste, My Responsibility recycling program equips workstations across campus with a personal blue deskside recycling bin with a small black garbage attachment, and empowers people to acknowledge, sort and dispose of their own waste. UBC Waste Management collects and sends Electronic waste (e-waste), one of the fastest growing sources of waste in North America, to be responsibly recycled through the province-wide electronic waste recycling program. Regionally, UBC has been an early adopter in organics management and has prioritized the development of onsite composting systems. UBC is set to launch a new reuse program in early 2011. Reuse It UBC is an online reuse system, similar to Craigslist, which aims to facilitate the reuse of surplus items on campus. A one-year pilot project will pro-
mote reuse of goods (e.g. furniture, audio visual equipment, office supplies) between UBC departments. Despite all these accomplishments, UBC seeks to do more, and preparation of a UBC Waste Action Plan comes at a time when such plans have begun to proliferate. For example, as pointed out in a discussion paper made available at the February public workshop, Metro Vancouver has initiated a Zero Waste Challenge, which includes two goals: 1) minimize waste generation and 2) maximize reuse, recycling and material/energy recovery. A target of the Zero Waste Challenge is to increase the regional diversion rate (i.e. percentage of waste that is recycled or composted) from an average of 55% to 70% by 2015. As the discussion paper also pointed out, local recyclers and composters such as UBC and Metro Vancouver do not have this field to themselves. The ‘zero waste challenge’ has gone global with European countries boasting some of the highest recycling and composting rates in the world: Austria at 70%, Germany at 65%, the Netherlands at 60%, Belgium at 59% and Sweden at 48%. Many North American municipalities are taking a lead to reduce waste, not the least Vancouver, which recently signed onto Metro Vancouver’s Zero Waste Challenge. It has an approximate diversion rate of 52%. The City of San Francisco, with a zero waste goal by 2020, diverts approximately 77% of the materials it discards. Many universities in North America are also striving to reduce waste generation and increase waste diversion. The University of Florida (UF), with an annual enrolment of more than 50,000 students, has set a goal of Zero Waste by 2015. Their current diversion rate is less than 40%. The University of North Carolina (UNC) currently has recycling programs for more than 40 different materials. Since 1992, the campus population at UNC has grown by 27% while the amount of waste sent to the landfill has decreased by 33%. The University of Victoria has a Sustainability Action Plan with an expected waste diversion rate of 75% by 2012. For more information, please visit www.sustain.ubc.ca/campuswaste.
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THE CAMPUS RESIDENT FEBRUARY 22, 2011
Water Workshop Whets Thirst for Action Plan
This schematic shows water flows at the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) building, scheduled to open at UBC in the fall. The CIRS building will be water self-sufficient, harvesting rainwater and purifying it to meet 100% of its potable water needs. Wastewater will be treated to tertiary treatment quality and recycled to flush toilets and for irrigation purposes. Storm water runoff will also be redirected into the local aquifer. Schematic by Bushy Perkins + Will (architects)
Workshop is held to launch drafting of Water Action Plan; draft is due to be completed by summer The first step towards creation of a Water Action Plan took place at UBC in February, and the University looks forward to a few more steps before the plan is finalized later this year. This first step took place in the form of a public workshop held over six hours on February 8th, and attended by 50-60 people, many of them UBC faculty, staff and students. A combined team of staff from the UBC sustainability office and campus and community planning department organized the event, and staff members began the day by arranging seating of eight tables with about seven people per table. Participants at every table then engaged enthusiastically in discussion on such topics as: • How can UBC reduce its reliance on potable (drinking) water for irrigation? • How can UBC reduce its high base flow (water consumed 24 hours per day, everyday, for process cooling, research, urinal flows, etc? As the day wore on, and as discussion proved productive, numerous suggestions and ideas blossomed—no doubt to the delight of UBC sustainability people who need this kind of creative environment to get started on the writing of a Water Action Plan. For example, to the aforementioned question about the “unsustainable” use of drinking water to irrigate campus land, suggestions flowed about using rainwater instead of drinking water. And what about using groundwater? This switch alone would reduce the amount of water flowing to UBC from the North Shore reservoirs. This would in turn reduce the amount UBC lays out on the purchase of water. Numerous facts emerged, not the least being that UBC annually spends about $3 million purchasing water from the University Endowment Lands which charges UBC 10% (about $300,000) for letting this water across UEL land. The UEL buys water from Metro Vancouver.
Workshop people also learned that about 8,000 campus residents living in three dozen residential developments on campus consume about 10% of the water purchased by UBC. This boils down to a $300,000 annual water bill for residents—or roughly $10,000 per building. Delegates at most tables seemed to agree there are considerable opportunities for water to be consumed more efficiently at the Point Grey campus. For example, talk turned to “harvesting” rainwater—and using modern technologies to reuse and recycle water. As pointed out in a discussion paper provided to work-shoppers, “There is also potential to work with natural systems, such as the aquifer below the campus to store and exchange clear water. Furthermore, there are opportunities to build on UBC’s current water-related research.” The discussion paper also provided a review of what is called ‘best practices’ in the management of water in other municipalities and universities. These best practices elsewhere obviously offer a lesson for UBC to consider. The fact emerged that Australian universities boast some of the lowest water consumption rates in the world among post-secondary institutions. On average Australian universities consume less than one cubic metre of water per square meter of floor space, whereas UBC consumes three times this amount. This said, UBC has its own successes to present to the world. For example, as participants at the workshop heard, the market-housing neighbourhoods on campus have turned out to be—thanks to prudent planning—model communities built to especially-green guidelines. These guidelines, referred to as REAP (Residential Environmental Assessment Program), ensure that residential buildings will perform better than similar buildings throughout the region in all environmental categories, including water management. Under REAP guidelines, low-flow fixtures, efficient irrigation (albeit it with potable water) and ecologically sound plantings are mandatory in market-housing developments. Not the least this day, participants at the workshop learned a little about the
origins of water arriving on campus, a 1,000-acre parcel of land which is embraced on three sides by ocean and river, and bound on the other by a temperate forest and which is sitting atop a natural aquifer (a porous, layered bed of sand and gravel that holds water). As with most of Metro Vancouver, UBC’s drinking water comes from creek-fed reservoirs (lakes) in three watersheds: Capilano, Seymour and Coquitlam. The majority of water consumed at UBC comes from the
Seymour and Capilano Reservoirs. Water from the Seymour Reservoir is treated in the newly constructed Seymour-Capilano filtration plant, while water from the Capilano Reservoir is treated via chlorination. By 2013, water from the Capilano Reservoir will also be treated at the Seymour-Capilano Filtration Plant. Fittingly perhaps because of the proximity of Vancouver to UBC, the UBC discussion material paid particular compliment to the “best practices” of Vancouver in water management. The discussion paper reads, “As part of their Greenest City initiative, the City of Vancouver has recognized the need to increase conservation and efficiency, reduce pollution and raise the price of municipal water. To this end, Vancouver has adopted BC’s Living Water Smart target of using water 33% more efficiently by 2020. They have also begun to develop a Water Conservation and Stewardship Strategy, which would include the following key elements: • Universal water metering and volumebased pricing; • Strengthening water efficiency requirements in the Vancouver Building Code including purple pipes (a second set of plumbing that uses rainwater and recycles water from dishes, washing and showers) in all new buildings; • Rebates for the purchase of water-efficient fixtures; • Increased social marketing and public education; • Greater use of rainwater; • Water efficiency audits, including a proactive leak detection program; and • Increased enforcement of water conservation bylaws, including sprinkler restrictions. Those who were unable to attend the workshop may wish to get up to date with creation of the Water Action Plan at www.sustain.ubc.ca/campuswater
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THE CAMPUS RESIDENT FEBRUARY 22, 2011
Land Development Board Backs New ‘Hubs’ Drives Student Housing as Way to House Students, Profits from sale of land leases will be used to finance Animate Campus student housing; special endowment fund will be formed UBC has announced the formation of a fund it says will dramatically increase opportunities for student housing on the Point Grey campus. According to a UBC news release, the new fund will direct a large portion of land lease proceeds from developing the residential community on the Vancouver campus toward student housing projects. The board of governors at their February 8th meeting approved the fund, to be termed the Student Housing Financing Endowment. Responding to student concerns, the Board of Governors has set an eventual goal of 50 per cent of full-time undergraduate students living on campus. This goal was written into the Land Use Plan Amendments completed in January following broad community consultations. At present 29 per cent of full-time undergraduate students live on the Vancouver campus. “We know that students in residence highly value the rich educational and social experiences that come from living on campus,” UBC President Stephen Toope said. “UBC already has the highest number of students in residence of any Canadian university, but we must do better. Given the high cost of living in Vancouver, expanding this
number is a key academic priority.” The UBC news release says the Student Housing Financing Endowment will allow the University to pursue student housing objectives without incurring the extra cost of market borrowing that is normally required because student housing projects are not funded by government. “What we are announcing today is part of a continuum of sustainability initiatives at UBC that are contributing to a complete community where people live, work, play, teach and study,” Professor Toope said. “This endowment will be one tool for delivering on the Housing Action Plan for students, faculty and staff that the University is now elaborating.” The endowment structure of the new fund “preserves the land lease proceeds generated from creating a residential community as a long-term source of income for student housing,” said UBC Board Chair, Bill Levine. “This ensures that land revenues will continue to benefit future generations of UBC students.” A UBC source said the funding of this endowment comes into affect “right away.” In other words, if the sale of land leases to a property developer occurs today, the proceeds—say $20 million— would go into the student housing fund.
Artistic Rendering of what addition to Totem student residences on West Mall will look like on completion. Under new financing plan at UBC, income from market housing transactions at UBC will pay for cost of student housing such as this.
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Student residential precincts will be fully serviced; commuter-students will be brought into mix
The big new concept in student housing on campus called ‘hubs’ has received blessing from the UBC board of governors. At their February 8th meeting, the UBC board approved expenditure of the first $750,000 in planning costs for the Ponderosa hub, expected to cost ultimately $136,000,000 and house about 1,100 students— and possibly some faculty and staff. The board based its unanimous vote on the need for UBC to reach two important goals. On the one hand, governors want to see the waiting list of those students wanting to live on campus while earning their degrees reduced to zero, while on the other hand they wish to have campus “animated.” Known worldwide as a brilliant research institution and teaching centre, UBC has also become known over the years by students as rather a dull place to live— if you are lucky enough to find a student bed there. The UBC board has decided to counter this in a single stroke by agreeing in principle to the construction of five hubs, providing about 2,500 students beds, and adding ‘universal’ amenities to the new student homes so that they will come to resemble neighbourhoods in which permanent residents live on campus. Andrew Parr, managing director, student housing and hospitality services at UBC, explained the difference between a student hub and the more traditional form of student residence on campus called a ‘hall’ to The Campus Resident following the UBC board meeting, “Our current residences, or halls, are student residential communities only with very little connection to commuter students, faculty or staff within our existing facilities. “The hubs are intended to be student housing facilities but also have amenities for the entire campus community as well as academic spaces (labs, classrooms, offices, commuter student study lounges etc).” A hub could also include child care space, café, fitness facility, bike storage, end-of-ride facilities for ‘commuter students’, he said. “The idea is that it becomes an integrated precinct neighbourhood.” By August, 2013, when the first phase of the Ponderosa hub is built, UBC expects to offer approximately 600 students the opportunity to live in it. Should this first phase of the Ponder-
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osa hub—to be built at West Mall and University Boulevard—succeed, effective two years later, UBC will go ahead and build a second phase adjacent to it. This will offer another 500 students the opportunity of hub living. The UBC housing hub plan calls for five hubs to be built on campus ultimately, a development whose full build-out would go a long way towards shortening the list of students wanting to live on campus but unable to do so due to shortage of beds. This waiting list runs in the order of 2,500 students currently. In written material for the board meeting, UBC administrators described their hopes as follows: “The Ponderosa hub is one of five proposed hubs that form a key part of the UBC student housing strategy to animate campus to a local level by providing vibrant centres in which students can live, study, socialize and access services to meet their daily needs and enhance their over-all UBC student experience.” John Metras, managing director of infrastructure development at UBC, told board members, “This increase will raise the number of beds provided by UBC student housing and hospitality services as a percentage of full-time student population from 28% to 35%.” The Ponderosa hub will be specifically focused on upper-year students and graduate-school students, Mr. Metras said. Phase 1 will include a 15-20-storey tower, a 10-storey tower and a low-rise building (to provide 590 beds). Phase 2 will consist of a 14-storey tower, an 18-storey tower and a low-rise building (to provide 510+ student beds). UBC planners believe that individual buildings will emerge along the lines of residential colleges with strong academic leanings, much as the famous colleges of Oxford and Cambridge in England have emerged over the years. UBC will roll out its development of new hubs as follows: • Ponderosa; • Brock hub at East Mall and Walter Gage Road; • Orchard hub at West Mall and Agronomy Road; • Old Armoury hub at West Mall and Memorial; • Health Sciences hub at Wesbrook Mall and Agronomy.
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PHOTO: DON ERHARDT
THE CAMPUS RESIDENT FEBRUARY 22, 2011
GREEN PARTNERSHIP John Robinson, a UBC professor and director of Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS), and Zhang Lei, chairman of Modern Green Development Co. Ltd. PARTNERSHIP continued from Page 1 The contribution, which resulted from discussions that occurred around the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, will both support completion of the new CIRS building elsewhere on campus—expected to be the greenest building in North America when it opens in the fall—and establish a research partnership between UBC and Modern Green. This is Modern Green’s first North American partnership on green building research and development, spokesmen say. The company has developed more than 10 million square feet of green buildings in China and Australia, using geothermal heating, energy-saving technologies and other sustainable building practices. Its best-known project is Grand MOMA, an eight-building, 213,000-square-metre mixed-use residential, school and hotel development in Beijing that received the American Institute of Architects’ Award for Sustainable Development and was named an “architectural miracle” by U.S. magazines Popular Science and Time. “Over the next 20 years, the world’s urban population is projected to increase by two billion people, so it is crucial that we dramatically improve the sustainability of the buildings we work and live in,” says UBC President Stephen Toope. “This partnership helps place UBC and Modern Green at the forefront of these efforts, accelerating the development of sustainable urban infrastructure and green building practices.” With the partnership, UBC and Modern Green will conduct applied research in sustainability policies and processes. The partnership also provides UBC a partner to help test and deploy advanced sustainable building technologies in an effort to provide market-based solutions to global sustainability challenges.
Collaborations will take place at CIRS and Modern Green sites worldwide, including the Wesbrook Place one. “Modern Green, a leader in creating highly comfortable and energy-saving housing solutions, is looking forward to working with UBC researchers,” says Zhang Lei, Chairman of Modern Green, adding the partnership will include opportunities for knowledge transfer, personnel and student exchanges and experiential learning and research. “In collaboration with CIRS, Modern Green’s mixed-use residential building and demonstration centre at UBC will be a precedent-setting sustainable development for comfort and energy performance.” By hosting investment programs during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and the Shanghai World Expo, Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson says the City has leveraged its relationships with businesses, including Modern Green, to advance investments in the green economy and strengthen Vancouver’s status as a leader in green enterprise. “Bringing companies like Modern Green to Vancouver during the 2010 Games and showing them what we have to offer, was something we felt would pay off in the long run,” says Mayor Robertson. “By attracting one of China’s leading green developers to Vancouver, the City has further strengthened its position as a global hub for the green economy. Modern Green’s investments will help stimulate the local economy and job growth, as they continue to engage a number of local firms and build expertise by implementing new greener building technologies.” CIRS and the Modern Green partnership is part of UBC’s ongoing transformation into a living laboratory for
sustainability research and action. UBC’s Vancouver campus has set aggressive carbon reduction targets, including the elimination of institutional greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Related projects include the UBC Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Project, which will produce clean energy through biomass gasification; and the UBC Sustainability Initiative, which integrates sustainability teaching, learning, research and operations. “CIRS will be more than simply the greenest building in North America when it opens,” says John Robinson, executive director of the UBC Sustainability Initiative and professor in the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, who is leading the creation of CIRS. “It will be an important hub for sustainability research and action, where
scholars and partners work to find innovative solutions to the challenges of urban development faster and more effectively than ever before.” Modern Green Development Co. Ltd. is an international property development company and one of the largest green building developers in China. With a special emphasis on comfort and energy efficiency, Modern Green has invested more than $100 million CAD in supporting green building research and development. In cooperation with the world’s leading architects, builders and scholars, the Beijing-based company has developed more than 10 million square feet of green buildings in China, with annual sales of more than $500 million CAD. Modern Green has green development targets of 6 million square feet per year.
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THE CAMPUS RESIDENT FEBRUARY 22, 2011
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