To celebrate Earth Day Thompson Rivers University’s students, faculty, administrators and support staff agree to work together to create a campus-wide sustainability action plan.

Environmental sustainability is one of the founding principles of the university and it has a prominent role in TRU’s Strategic GoalsThe next step is to create a TRU Sustainability Action Plan, building on the Strategic Plan in more detail.

“I am pleased to announce the leaders representing the entire campus community agreed to form a Sustainability Action Planning Committee to participate in the development of the TRU Sustainability Action Plan, ” said Dr. Tom Owen, TRU Director, Environment and Sustainability”. This collaborative approach of having the academic and student unions, CUPE and the Association of Professional Administrators is unique in Canada and reflects the very real desire of everyone to make TRU the University of Choice for Environment and Sustainability.”

Both of the university’s faculty associations have embraced the Owen’s proposal. “TRUFA is pleased to participate in the campus-wide sustainability action plan; many of our members have already demonstrated commitment to environmental sustainability through participation in the ‘Climate Change Teach-In’ held at TRU in 2008,” said Donna Petri president of the university’s faculty association”. TRUFA looks forward to being a full participant in creating a greener TRU.”

June Williams, President of the TRU Open Learning Faculty Association also agreed that contributing to the Sustainability Action Plan is important”. As distance educators our environmental impact is often lower than averageHowever, there are many ways to lower our impact even further.”

CUPE Local 4879 President Rachel Champagne, speaking on behalf of support workers said, “The TRU community has 40 years of growth and success for which we can all be proud; working together to create a campus-wide, meaningful focus on environmental sustainability will parallel the greatest of those successes.”

“Students are looking forward to working with our colleagues in the faculty and administration, to develop a sustainability plan for TRU. By working together we will ensure that our institutional plan has lofty goals and rigorous scrutiny of our progress towards those goalsAs students we are pleased to see that all of the organizations on campus are willing to take responsibility for our campus’s sustainability plan and its implementation,” Kyle Bowman, President TRU Student Union added.

“I think the Sustainability Action Plan is important and worth doing so the Association of Professional Administrators is pleased to be a part of it,” said Ken Olynyk, spokesperson for the organization.

Since arriving in January of this year Dr. Owen as been working with the Environmental Advisory Council to develop a framework for the planThe framework includes four themes; carbon neutrality, paperless campus, participation and environmental stewardship”. I expect that the committee will flesh out these themes with specific activities but they may also want to amend those themes or suggest others, ” said Owen”. The final plan, expected in September, will be truly representative of the broad TRU community and therefore we will be able to move smoothly and effectively to implementing these important activities.”

Contact:

• Dr. Tom Owen, Director Environmental Sustainabilty, (p) 250.852.7199
• Rachel Champagne, President CUPE Local 4879, (p) 250.852.7249
• Ken Olynyk, President TRU Association Professional Administrators, (p) 250.828.5273
• Donna Petri, President TRU Faculty Association, (p) 250.374.3040
• Kyle Bowman, President TRU Student Union, (p) 250.828.5289