Solar panels atop the Campus Activity Centre. In the background is the TRU Residence and Conference Centre. Other panels are located on the rooftops of the Food Training and Old Main buildings.
Thompson Rivers University, Harvard, Stanford, Arizona State, and other leading universities and colleges commit a total of $65 million to an innovative energy efficiency financing initiative.
Kamloops– Thompson Rivers University joined with 32 other leading institutions to launch the Billion Dollar Green Challenge. The goal is to invest a cumulative total of one billion dollars in self-managed green revolving funds that finance energy efficiency upgrades on campuses.
As part of the Founding Circle, Thompson Rivers University has the distinction of being one of only two Canadian institutions to take the lead in making this commitment. The Challenge is inspired by the exceptional performance of existing green revolving funds, which have a median annual return on investment of 32%, as documented by Greening The Bottom Line, a report published by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.
A bright spot in a rocky economy, these profitable investments are helping create green jobs in campus communities, while lowering operating costs on college and university campuses.
“We’re transforming energy efficiency upgrades from perceived expenses to high-return investment opportunities,” said Mark Orlowski, executive director of the Sustainable Endowments Institute, which is coordinating The Challenge along with 13 partner organizations. “Thompson Rivers University should be commended for rising to The Challenge and investing in energy efficiency improvements on campus.”
The Billion Dollar Green Challenge launched publicly on October 11 at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education conference in Pittsburgh. With more than 2,500 participants, including Dr. Tom Owen, Director of Environment and Sustainability, and Mr. James Gudjonson, Energy Manager of Thompson Rivers University, the conference is the largest gathering to date on higher education sustainability.
“Joining The Billion Dollar Green Challenge is another important step in making Thompson Rivers University the University of Choice for Environment and Sustainability said Dr. Owen. It not only furthers our energy efficiency objectives but also also places Thompson Rivers University in the forefront of this important international institutional initiative. Students are increasingly choosing their university based upon the sustainability record of the institution. Joining the leading North American sustainable institutions in the Billion Dollar Challenge is a highly visible signal to students of the importance of environmental sustainability at Thompson Rivers University.
In advance of the launch, 33 institutions, including Thompson Rivers University, have already joined The Challenge’s Founding Circle by committing to invest a cumulative total of more than $65 million in green revolving funds. In addition to Harvard, Stanford and ASU, other Founding Circle institutions include Caltech, Dartmouth, George Washington, Middlebury, the University of British Columbia, and Weber State University. (See complete list in the appendix.)
Guided by a 34-member expert advisory council, The Billion Dollar Green Challenge offers technical assistance, best practices sharing, access to an advanced web-based tool for managing green revolving funds, peer institutions’ project-specific data and invitations to specialized webinars and conferences.
The Billion Dollar Green Challenge has received financial support from the David Rockefeller Fund, HOK, John Merck Fund, Kresge Foundation, Merck Family Fund, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Roy A. Hunt Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership, and the Wallace Global Fund.
For more information please visit www.GreenBillion.org
or contact:
Dr. Tom Owen,
Director Environmental Sustainability
Thompson Rivers University
(p)250-852-7199
(e)towen@tru.ca
