Sustainability & Capital Fund

Creating a sustainable future.

The future of SUB and for a sustainable future

The Sustainability & Capital Fund is a ‘first-of-its-kind’ approach to dealing with two critical issues on Canadian campuses: how to create a more sustainable future given the urgent need to address climate change, and how to deal with the cost of maintaining student spaces.

Key Points about the Fund

  • Created and maintained by a student fee ($25 per semester), this dedicated fund will be expanded by grant and donor revenues;
  • It represents a unique, long-term approach to the key issues it addresses;
  • Students’ Council will determine which projects receive support from the Fund;
  • All supported projects must have environmental, social and economic sustainability priorities at their core;
  • Students’ Council will review the Fund after five years to help determine whether it should continue or be wound down;
  • The recently-announced series of student bursaries will ensure sufficient financial support is readily available for students on our campus who need it most.

Consultation

For the past three years we have been conducting surveys, holding focus groups, working with Industrial Design students, meeting with Faculty Associations, and talking with just about anyone who would listen... and in general we have found that students:

  • Agree that deferred maintenance is a real problem that demands a permanent and sustainable solution;
  • Believe that environmental sustainability must be central to all capital maintenance projects;
  • Want to ensure that student spaces were as inclusive and welcoming as possible, and positively contributed to the wellness of students;
  • Felt that if extra fees were required, every effort needed to be made to keep them as low as possible, to account for students' financial constraints; and
  • Wanted clear accountability and oversight.