Planning and Reporting

AASHE STARS

Langara College proudly holds a STARS Silver rating in recognition of our sustainability achievements.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) created the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) to provide colleges and universities with a transparent framework for measuring their sustainability performance. 

Langara is an AASHE member and began pursuing a STARS rating in 2019. We earned a Silver rating in 2021, reflecting our sustainability efforts in campus design, energy management, academic offerings, and community programming. Read the news release.

UN SDGs

snəw̓eyəɬ leləm̓ Langara College answers the call from United Nations to advance sustainability for a more just, equitable, and green future. In 2023 Langara's President and CEO Dr. Paula Burns signed the UN SDG Accord on behalf of the institution. By signing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) Accord, Langara College declares our steadfast commitment towards sustainability. 

The SDG Accord advances education's critical role in achieving the United Nation's 17 goals. The Accord is also a commitment between learning institutions to share achievements, goals, and learnings with each other — nationally and internationally. 

Langara College has continuously led environmental sustainability initiatives, earning distinctions and awards for our green buildings and infrastructure. We also recognize that a sustainable future includes peace, safety, and wellbeing for all. 

The College belongs to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and holds a STARS silver rating [link to SDG page]. As we continue to pursue STARS excellence, the sustainability achievements that STARS measures also contribute to our progress towards UN SDGs. The AASHE STARS and the UN SDG Accord are mutually beneficial programs for educational institutions. We will use the STARS framework to report on our contributions to the SDGs.

Climate Change Accountability Reports

Since 2008, under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act, all public sector organizations have reported annually on their plans and actions taken to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

Since 2010, all public sector organizations also report their total GHG emissions for the calendar year as well as offset investments made to achieve net-zero emissions. These reports are known as Climate Change Accountability Reports (CCARs). These reports were previously known as Carbon Neutral Action Reports.

Langara College's 2023 Climate Change Accountability Report is now available. 

Highlights from the 2023 report: 

Central Heating Plant

Construction for our central heating plant expansion, to serve all buildings on campus, began in October 2022 and is now complete. Data after one year of tracking shows the project is on track to achieve an additional 25% fuel savings compared to the previous year; the project was fully complete in May of 2023 and has achieved 19% savings for calendar year 2023. As we continue to optimize the new system and complete one full year of operation, we expect to get even more savings. By centralizing and modernizing our central heating plant, we not only significantly reduce our GHGs immediately – we also create the opportunity to take advantage of renewable energy technologies in the future, reducing emissions further.

Road To Net Zero – Electrification Roadmap

Canada has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050; at Langara, we are well underway to meeting this target much sooner, with a goal to reach this milestone in 2030. “Net zero” describes a state where greenhouse gas emissions produced are in balance with the greenhouse gas emissions taken out of the atmosphere. Working with Prism Engineering, Clean BC, and BC Hydro, Langara carried out an Electrification Roadmap study for the campus to support our next steps for campus GHG emissions reduction. The proposed Electrification Roadmap achieves over 75-95% campus gas reduction by 2027, and full electrification by 2030. Using this roadmap as a guide, Langara has committed funding and aims to achieve 80% below 2007 GHG emissions levels by 2026.

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

We added 8 new EV charging stations for a total of 36 stations, this is in addition to electric bicycle plugins available in our cycling facilities.

Community and Engagement 

In 2023 our sustainability storytelling strategy focused on three key areas: advancing our external reputation as a sustainability leader; increasing awareness of how our actions contribute to larger provincial, national, and global goals; and strengthening our internal culture around sustainability.

Activities included:

  • In May 2023 our president signed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Accord (SDG) on behalf of Langara College. The SDG Accord inspires, celebrates, and advances education's critical role in delivering the United Nation's 17 goals. By signing the Accord, Langara College declares steadfast and unwavering commitment towards sustainability.
  • A social media content marketing campaign aligned with UN SDGs days of observance like World Environment Day, World Oceans Day, and World Food Day.
  • A sustainability video series aimed at our student audience.
  • Sustainability was the theme of our Academic Plan Mini-Conference, our largest faculty-focused event of the year. This event earned a Gold Zero-Waste Event designation.
  • Participated in two annual Go-by-Bike Week events, encouraging employee engagement and participation in alternative transportation.
  • Administered our second biannual Sustainability Culture Assessment survey, which helps us better understand how we as a community think about and behave towards our environment and identify what steps we can take to further our sustainability goals.
  • Administered the 2023 Transportation Survey, with added subcategories about primary modes of transportation to better align with STARS rating system. Key finding: Over 80% of trips to or from Langara are made by sustainable modes: (walking, cycling and transit).

Policy and Procedures

  • Sustainable procurement procedures were updated and communicated to departments.
  • Landscaping procedures were updated to require all-electric equipment from our vendors. We also replaced all plants with local, indigenous, and drought tolerant plants. We only water to establish plants.

Did you know? BC’s public sector is officially carbon neutral, a first for any province or state in North America and an achievement that places British Columbia on the leading edge of climate action and growth in the clean energy and clean technology sectors. BC's Carbon Neutral Government Program was officially recognized for its efforts by the United Nations with a 2018 UN Momentum for Change Award.