Thompson Rivers University (TRU), an established world leader in sustainability with a double STARS Platinum rating, is answering the United Nation’s global call to action to build a better world by 2030. Sustainability is one of TRU’s four core values, and this commitment deeply connects our teaching, research and operations to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The 17 SDGs are a universal call to end poverty, protect the planet and promote peace and prosperity for all by 2030. They include goals such as good health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, responsible consumption and production, and strong institutions.
As a signatory to the international SDG Accord, TRU joins hundreds of post-secondary institutions around the world that are embedding the goals into their academic mission and reporting progress each year. With the launch of new SDG webpage and newsroom tagging system, the university is making it easier to see how campus projects, partnerships and research connect to global change.
“At TRU we stand as a world-class institution of sustainability, guided by our Envision TRU values of inclusion and diversity, community-mindedness, curiosity and sustainability,” says TRU President Airini. “Through the Sustainable Development Goals we articulate how the local becomes global, how our work here honours the vision of Kw’seltktnéws—‘we are all related and interconnected with nature, each other and all things’—and how every learner is empowered to transform themselves, their communities and the world.”
Across TRU, the SDGs are already shaping action in meaningful ways. For Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being, TRU researchers are advancing rural health through the Population Health and Aging Research (PHARR) Centre, which focuses on improving quality of life for older adults. TRU also offers hands-on training programs for naloxone and CPR that equip students and community members to respond to opioid emergencies.
Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy drives projects such as TRU’s Low-Carbon District Energy System, an innovative heat-pump network that replaces fossil fuels and moves the university closer to its 2030 net-zero target.
TRU also aligns with Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities through initiatives like TRU Wildfire, which partners with the BC Wildfire Service to develop wildfire resilience and community preparedness. This work connects closely to Goal 13: Climate Action, as TRU researchers explore solutions for wildfire prevention, ecosystem restoration and disaster resilience in the face of a changing climate. Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production is reflected in TRU’s Zero Waste Plan (2022–2027), which targets a 95 per cent diversion rate from landfill and supports community engagement through Repair Cafés, reusable materials programs and sustainable purchasing practices that model circular economy principles.
“Our academic mission is to create, share and apply knowledge that makes a difference,” says Interim Provost and Vice-President Academic Shannon Wagner. “Connecting our programs and research to the Sustainable Development Goals helps students see that what they learn here has real-world relevance, both locally and globally.”
TRU’s new SDG webpages showcase how the university contributes to each of the 17 goals, from climate action and social equity to Indigenous reconciliation and global partnership. Visitors can explore examples from across faculties and follow stories tagged with the relevant SDG on the TRU newsroom.
Together, these efforts reinforce TRU’s role as both a local leader and a global partner in advancing sustainability, equity and innovation for generations to come.
