Resources
UBC and global best practices
Explore resources designed to provide insights into UBC’s Campus as a Living Lab (CLL) and its innovative approach to tackling sustainability challenges. Whether you're a researcher, practitioner, or student, these materials will help you understand how UBC integrate CLL into a university's academic and operational functions.
Additionally, you'll find valuable information on global best practices and lessons learned from universities worldwide engaged in living lab work.
UBC strategy and policy support
UBC has been a leader in sustainability since the 1990s, striving to create sustainable and equitable campuses while educating and empowering the leaders of tomorrow. Central to this mission, UBC’s Campus as a Living Lab (CLL) is a crucial part of the university’s strategic plans and institutional priorities. Several UBC policies enable and support UBC’s commitment to using CLL as a means to address global sustainability challenges, enabling the university to advance groundbreaking projects that make a meaningful difference.
Campus Vision 2050
Campus: Vancouver
Date: 2023
Climate Emergency Task Force Report
Campus: Vancouver
Date: 2021
Sustainability Hub Strategic Plan (2022–2027)
Campus: Vancouver
Date: 2021
Climate Action Plan 2030
Campus: Vancouver
Date: 2021
UBC Strategic Plan (2018-2028)
Campus: Vancouver/Okanagan
Date: 2019
Okanagan Charter
Campus: Okanagan
Date: 2015
20-Year Sustainability Strategy
Campus: Vancouver
Date: 2014
UBC’s Sustainability Academic Strategy
Campus: Vancouver/Okanagan
Date: 2009
UBC's Campus as a Living Lab framework
For a more comprehensive overview of UBC's Campus as a Living Lab framework, featuring principles and examples, you can download the booklet below. It provides in-depth information about our approach, key projects, governance and the impact we strive to create through collaboration and innovation.
Global best practice reports
Governing University Living Labs for Sustainable Development (
Monash University Report)
This report presents lessons from international case studies on how universities can govern living labs to accelerate sustainability. It offers insights into the institutional structures, governance models, and strategies needed to foster innovation and tackle global challenges.
The University Campus as a Living Lab for Sustainability
- A Practitioner’s Guide (ISCN)
This guide, developed by the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN), serves as a comprehensive handbook for practitioners looking to establish or enhance university living labs. It covers methodologies, real-world examples, and strategic advice on using campuses as hubs for sustainability research and innovation.