Here are some highlights from 2021: 

  • Langara College Environmental Studies students are participating in the restoration of East Vancouver's Still Creek
  • Added 12 new electric vehicle charging stations for a total of 28.
  • Added 45 solar panels for a total of 83. It is now a 30.98 kWp (kilowatt peak) system

  • The College conducted its first-ever sustainability survey, where we asked students and employees questions related to their perceptions and behavior towards the environment
  • Created two new pollinator gardens to attract and feed bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies that will encourage pollination and biodiversity. These gardens are funded in part through the World Wildlife Fund Go Wild Grant.
  • Actively pursuing bronze STARS rating. 
  • Installed our first green roof as part of the Langara Global renovation project. Green roofs reduce air polution and GHGs, reduce energy use through evapotranspiration (reducing the energy required for cooling/heating), improves indoor comfort through reduction of heat transwer, provides aesthetic value and a habitat for plant and animal species, and enhances stormwater management and water quality.


Here are some highlights from 2020:

  • Langara College students from the ENVS 2100 course won First Place in the semi-annual CityStudio HUBBUB 15 project showcase with their Community Kelp project that "weaves education with aquaculture to enhance public awareness about ocean acidification and the mitigation properties of kelp" (HUBBUB 15 judge's comments). 
  • Hired a co-op student dedicated to developing a sustainability student ambassador program for the College, with goals to increase employee and student engagement as well as to conduct benchmarking for AASHE STARS. Read the news article "Sustainability Student Ambassadors Forge Green initiatives".
  • Installed a new Recycling Station for the cafeteria, with funding from World Wildlife Fund.
  • Installed 15 new exterior recycling stations on campus.

 

Here are some highlights from 2019:

  • Installed additional solar panels across the campus (we now have 38 solar panels).
  • Developed a new self-guided sustainability tour on campus. 
  • As an AASHE member, we have begun working towards the AASHE STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System) framework.
  • Installed additional water-fill stations to reduce plastic waste. We now have 18 water-fill stations across campus, and have collectively saved over 1.2million plastic bottles to date.
  • Conducted a college-wide transportation survey (done every two years) with over 3,400 responses.
  • Hosted the 8th annual Public Sector Climate Leadership Symposium (Nov 26-27, 2019)
  • Installed 8 additional EV charging stations now totalling 16. 

In 2018, through a student led initiative, we have installed solar panels as a renewable energy source on top of the Science and Technology Building.

Other initiatives for 2018 include:

  • Increased installation of more efficient and affordable lighting solutions with improved LED technologies to save on energy, update aged equipment and decrease ongoing maintenance costs.
  • Continuing to monitor and report on energy usage and larger systems performance, looking for low cost opportunities (ie schedule changes/alignment with occupancy, general systems review and commissioning, etc.)
  • Continuing with the cafeteria kitchen’s “Turn off when not in use” campaign and other similar campaigns
  • Adding more electric car charging stations on our campus.

In 2017, as part of its commitment to green education, Langara partnered with the Open Green Building Society to produce a green building audio tour for the new Science & Technology Building. Narrated by Langara Facilities Director, Wendy Lannard and Proscenium Partner Architect, Kori Chan, the audio tour highlights the many green features of the state-of-the-art facility and is available 24/7 on location, on the web, or via podcast. We invite all students, employees, visitors, and green building aficionados to explore Langara's newest green addition to the campus through this convenient, accessible audio format.

If you have any questions about our green building audio tour, contact facilities@langara.ca or visit the Green Building Audio Tour website.

We also completed the renewal of our Building “A” Fan Systems. In 2016 we received funding through the Federal Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) to upgrade our Building “A” Fan Systems.  The fan systems were rebuilt and converted to a Variable Air Volume (VAV) Reheat Systems, including improving air distribution in classrooms and updated integrated building controls. The result is a “like new” air distribution system for the building which will improve comfort and decrease operating costs related to energy usage, ongoing maintenance and repairs. The project is expected to decrease our emissions on campus by an additional 155 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) or 11% of our 2017 buildings emissions.

“The substantial investment from the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia have allowed us to accelerate our commitments to sustainability on campus. In fact, with the completion of this project, we have already met our 2020 target of reducing 2007 greenhouse gas emission levels by 33%.” - Lane Trotter, president and CEO


In 2016, Langara completed construction and officially opened its new Science & Technology Building. The $54 million, 12,039 square metres project features LEED Gold-targeting standards, reflective and green roofs, an energy-efficient building envelope, low-flow fume hoods with adjustable sashes, and local, sustainable building materials. Visit the Completed Projects webpage for more information about the project, or take the Green Building Audio Tour.


In 2015, Langara continued to optimize its energy use on campus as a way to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Here are our success stories from this year:

  • Scheduling Optimization: How matching schedules of air handling units with when spaces are actually in use helped to optimize energy use and reduce waste.
  • Green IT (coming soon)

In 2014, the fifth year since implementing the strategic energy managment plan, Langara has not only met but also exceeded its energy savings targets. These successful actions and results of which may be attributed to the efforts of key stakeholders and the larger campus community.