At the University of Victoria we strive to model sustainability—applying ingenuity to find new and creative solutions and practices that can serve as examples for others.

Our vision is to improve quality of life on campus and in the community by ensuring that sustainability is integral in campus operations, teaching, research and partnerships.

We have called our journey a path to sustainability. 

Sustainability is the state of achieving the ecological balance that allows social development and economic prosperity to be achieved across generations. 

Canada represents a small fraction of the world's population, but uses far more than its share of the world's energy, and emits a large percentage of the world's carbon dioxide pollution. We are a country with a huge ecological footprint.  Our current lifestyle comes at the expense of the health of the planet and its people. 

The University of Victoria recognizes that we must do things differently to succeed in this challenging environment. The actions we take today must ensure that the resources we leave behind are enough to sustain future generations and maintain a high quality of life.

The challenge of achieving this outcome is no small matter but we recognize that the University of Victoria is uniquely positioned to be a leader in sustainability:

A strong commitment to sustainability enhances our competitive position among post secondary schools and offers a unique opportunity to recruit and retain outstanding students, faculty and staff.

As a centre for innovation, the university offers practical technology and knowledge transfer to create healthy, green communities.

Efforts to reduce resource use through conservation, recovery, demand management, and improved facility design, reduce the institution’s long term operating costs.

A commitment to sustainability supports the CRD Regional Growth Strategy and the associated policies and bylaws of our surrounding municipalities and the Province of BC.

Sustainability leadership has the potential to attract significant external funding to UVic – research grants, corporate partnerships, foundation investments, philanthropic support.

Our significant purchasing power provides us with the opportunity to signal demand for ethically sourced and environmentally responsible products in the marketplace.

Sustainability fits within our commitment to be open, transparent and accountable.

Our physical campus can act as a learning laboratory for innovative programs, policies, infrastructure and activities.