Human Wellbeing & Social Systems

Q&A: A how-to guide to mushroom toilets, by the team that made one

jgarner — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 17:42:33 +0000

Q&A: A how-to guide to mushroom toilets, by the team that made one jgarner Tue, 09/23/2025 - 10:42

A Campus as a Living Lab team of faculty, staff, and students explain how a new composting toilet uses mushrooms – instead of water, electricity and chemicals – to break down human waste into safe, nutrient-rich compost soil.

Untreated human waste is a leading cause of disease and mortality among the 2.3B people who lack access to adequate sanitation globally¹. Current centralized approaches to waste treatment are energy intensive and require significant amounts of water. While decentralized approaches, such as chemical toilets, reduce energy and water use, they require toxic chemicals which create economic, operational and disposal challenges.

That’s why a team of faculty, staff, and students at UBC have been working on the development of a fully biodegradable process for composting toilets that speeds the decomposition of waste and eliminates the need for energy and chemical inputs.

1. Kubba, S. (2017). In Handbook of Green Building Design and Construction (Second Edition) (pp. 413-441), essay, Elsevier, B-H.

Q. How did interdisciplinary collaboration—linking architecture, microbiology, and campus operations—shape the project?

A. This project was transdisciplinary from its initial conception. It grew out of a competition that included students from four different faculties at UBC. The proposal, which won the Biodesign Challenge in 2019, proposed a mycelium-based toilet for intended for refugee camps. The entry proposed a new conceptual framework for approaching waste that was beyond any single discipline. It would not have occurred had we not had a team that represented so many diverse fields.

Actually realizing the vision as a working prototype required a different kind of interdisciplinary collaboration – which included laboratory testing at the Hallam Lab at UBC Microbiology and Immunology, as well as designers working at the Biogenic Architecture Lab at UBC SALA.

JOSEPH DAHMEN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, FOUNDER OF BIOGENIC ARCHITECTURE LAB, SALA, APPLIED SCIENCE.

Q. How did working on the MycoToilet shape your perspective on sustainability? What did you learn about linking research to real-world challenges?

A. The MycoToilet project allowed me to gain first-hand experience with how designers can collaborate with microbiology and other researchers, to generate new ways of making the built environment more sustainable.

“Through the process of growing material – working with something that is literally alive – you develop a strange relationship with this unique non-human actor. You have to quickly learn to accept its autonomy, and work with it, instead of control it.”

Mycelium bio-composites and other similar materials are only recently starting to scale up and become commercially available, but there are challenges related to the consistency of growth, the adaptability of the building industry, and public perception.

CHRISTY-ANNA CHUNG, RESEARCH ASSISTANT, M.ARCH CANDIDATE, SALA, APPLIED SCIENCE

A. Mycotoilet allowed me to apply some of the sustainability concepts I was learning in school to an actual project with impact. While the project is supported by a strong scientific idea, it is the design of the enclosure itself that I think best describes the sustainability through material and form. It allows the inhabitants to not only engage with sustainability as a concept, but link their actions into positive environmental impact.

The Mycotoilet project exposed me to a whole new way of thinking about the role of architecture in ecological systems and gave me the connections and skills to launch a career I didn’t even know existed just over three years ago.

ISOBEL MCLEAN, RESEARCH TECHNICIAN, HALLAM LAB, FACULTY OF SCIENCE

A. By involving the contractors in the design process, we were able to shift from CLT (cross-laminated timber, which relies on adhesives), to a newer technology DLT (dowel-laminated timber) which uses neither nails nor glue. Its ability to come apart means that the MycoToilet can contribute to a circular economy at the end of its life.

I think this is the greatest take-away for me, the ability to learn from and design in response to the interdisciplinary members of a team, which enabled us to advance the studies of DLT, but also gave a local business the opportunity to create their first-ever DLT product.

JAMI HOLDEN, RESEARCH ASSISTANT, M.ARCH CANDIDATE, SALA, APPLIED SCIENCE

Q. What were some practical considerations in bringing Mycotoilet to the Garden?

A. We had to consider the best location for the Mycotoilet that would support visitors to the Garden Tree Walk, and how to install it without damage to valuable plant collections in the area.

Our Botanical Garden Horticulturists helped support with preparation of the area which meant transplanting and protection of plants, base preparation and landscaping restoration around the MycoToilet. One of the biggest challenges we were involved with was the movement and placement of the mostly pre-assembled structure into the garden. While challenging to protect our collections, there was great collaboration between Joe’s team, UBC Plant Operations and the Botanical Garden.

We also helped with the installation of the green roof planting and will be installing irrigation a later date to maintain plants for that green roof. Our Curator of the Asian Garden, Andrew Hill, was instrumental in coordinating efforts between Joe’s team and the Botanical Garden crew.

BRENDAN FISHER, HEAD TRADES - HORTICULTURIST, UBC BOTANICAL GARDEN

Q. How did you support the project team throughout the lifecycle of the project?

A. The Campus as a Living Lab program, managed by the Sustainability Hub, provided both funding and a structured platform that enabled the researchers, students, and operations staff to work together effectively.

I expected to help with turning an ambitious concept into a practical demonstration. But what surprised me is how the project has grown and evolved over time into something long-term. It began as a pilot, but with strong support from the Botanical Garden is now developing into a full-scale mycelium composting toilet intended to permanently replace a chemical unit.

Looking forward, I hope this project sets a strong example and encourages more researchers, staff, and external partners to collaborate through Campus as a Living Lab.

ANTHONY AN, RESEARCH MANAGER, SUSTAINABILITY HUB

Q. What lessons or skills from this project do you expect to carry forward into your future studies or career?

A. I use almost all the technical skills that I learned throughout the project daily. However, in working with Joe Dahmen and Steven Hallam, I think the most important lesson that was modelled throughout the project was that it won’t be a singular discipline that comes up with the solutions to the complex problems that we, as a society, are currently facing.

“Working in this transdisciplinary mode created something with the possibility for much greater impact than either architecture or microbiology could have proposed alone, and it was the willingness of everyone on the team to take the time to communicate and listen to each other’s perspectives that made it possible.”

Being willing to listen to people with other forms of knowledge and work towards creative solutions together is what brought the concept of the Mycotoilet together several years ago, and it is also what made it a reality today.

ISOBEL MCLEAN, RESEARCH TECHNICIAN, HALLAM LAB, FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Q. The MycoToilet was inspired in part by the Garden’s goal of ‘demonstrating sustainable practices’. What made you choose this project above others?

A. Sustainability was the primary reason, but also the innovative and botanical nature of the toilet were both important factors, as were the opportunity to collaborate with other UBC departments and our ability to share the costs with the designers.

DOUGLAS JUSTICE, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, HORTICULTURE AND COLLECTIONS, BOTANICAL GARDEN

Q. How do you see the MycoToilet improving operations compared to the chemical toilet it is intended to replace?

A. We see an opportunity for improving operations that should result in both cost savings and environmental benefits. Chemical toilets were trucked in and out of the garden seasonally and weekly truck service was required to vacuum out and clean.

“Allowing this new structure to become part of the Botanical Garden’s regular cleaning schedule with UBC Custodial will provide some cost savings – and more importantly reduce the environmental impact of multiple truck visits into the garden for cleaning and service.”

BRENDAN FISHER, HEAD TRADES - HORTICULTURIST, UBC BOTANICAL GARDEN

Q. What opportunities do you see to scale this technology to other contexts — such as urban parks or remote communities?

A. Part of the reason for developing the full-scale prototype at the Botanical Garden is to demonstrate the modular toilet to municipalities and the provincial government. Connecting to plumbing typically accounts for around half the cost to develop a public toilet. In parks or other locations far from plumbing the percentage cost can be significantly higher.

The modular waste-separating toilet we’ve developed incurs none of these costs, with servicing requirements that can be as low as 3-4 times per year. This could be an excellent solution when connecting to centralized systems is difficult or costly.

JOSEPH DAHMEN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, FOUNDER OF BIOGENIC ARCHITECTURE LAB, SALA, APPLIED SCIENCE.

Learn more about UBC’s Campus as a Living Lab program, the UBC Botanical Garden, the Biogenic Architecture Lab, the Hallam Lab and UBC School of Architecture + Landscape Architecture,

Human Wellbeing & Social Systems

Production, Consumption & Waste

Mind In Motion: Improving community mental health through movement

jwei — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 00:59:40 +0000

Mind In Motion: Improving community mental health through movement jwei Thu, 02/27/2025 - 16:59

With over half of Canadian post-secondary students experiencing depressive symptoms, developing accessible mental health resources is more vital than ever. Can exercise, cost-effective and holistic, be the answer?

“When we're physically active, our mental health is better. But also, when we have good mental health, we're more likely to be physically active,” Dr. Guy Faulkner, professor at the UBC School of Kinesiology, observes.

You've probably heard this before—taking a walk and getting some fresh air tends to help when you’re feeling overwhelmed or low-spirited. The bidirectional relationship between exercise and mental health, however, may hold potential beyond alleviating stress during those hectic exam seasons.

Through a new project, Mind In Motion, Dr. Faulkner, Postdoctoral Research Fellow Madelaine Gierc, and Master's student Cassandra Kell-Cattrysse are focusing the Population Physical Activity (Pop-PA) Lab research team on investigating the feasibility of an exercise-based approach towards treating students experiencing ongoing mild to moderate depressive symptoms.

Mind In Motion is also a Campus as a Living Lab funded project, which provides a collaborative framework for researchers, students, and operations staff to explore, develop and test new ideas, and to share the knowledge gained from these experiences.

How can exercise improve mental health?

In a recent survey examining the health of Canadian post-secondary students, up to 70% of students reported feelings of loneliness and 52% reported feeling so depressed that it was difficult to function. In combination with long wait times stalling treatment, meeting demands for mental health support has never been more urgent.

How can exercise be a solution?

“The evidence is quite robust and mature now that demonstrates that exercise is an effective treatment for depression,” Dr. Faulkner elaborates, “and the effects of exercise appears to be comparable with medication and therapy.” In fact, the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) guidelines recognized exercise as an effective frontline treatment for mild to moderate depression back in 2016.

Since then, a wide body of research now suggests how multiple mechanisms may be at play to explain why. Physical activity may contribute to better mood on a neurological level by boosting “feel good” chemicals like serotonin and dopamine, as well as psychologically by improving physical self-perceptions and self-esteem.

Exercise also addresses several barriers. It may be more accessible for groups deterred from seeking more commonly prescribed mental healthcare treatments, like medication and therapy, due to stigma. With the possibility of self-led sessions, it is also cost-effective.

In general, “exercise has so many health and wellness benefits in addition to antidepressant effects,” Madelaine explains, such as improving sleep quality and cardiovascular function. Because of this holistic approach, she concludes, “[exercise] is really appealing to a lot of people.”

Why has exercise been sidelined as a treatment option?

Though accessible and inexpensive, “it's only relatively recently that exercise has been recognized as a frontline treatment for depression,” Dr. Faulkner explains, leading to what he calls an “implementation gap.”

Mental health providers may lack established referral strategies to adopt and recommend an exercise-based intervention. And exercise practitioners may lack the appropriate skills and competencies needed to best guide students with depression.

Because of this, there is an absence of well-tested referral pathways in real-world settings to show if carrying out an exercise-based intervention is possible and effective.

How UBC can help bridge the implementation gap

Sitting on over 400 hectares and equipped with facilities to serve over 50,000 students, UBC’s Point Grey Campus is, “this kind of ideal, optimal environment,” Dr. Faulkner says, “where mental health professionals can refer students to a dedicated exercise program that is tailored to their needs.”

To be more precise, mental health professionals at UBC Counselling Services, led by Associate Director of Clinical Services Lauren McBride, and exercise practitioners at BodyWorks - a fitness facility on campus - led by Exercise Physiologist André Pelletier, can work together to implement a cohesive referral pathway. On the Pop-PA research team’s end, they are responsible for leading the design and development of this pathway, along with any necessary training.

Madelaine also notes that what has sparked their enthusiasm to collaborate may be a, “growing recognition within professional fields that [exercise] is a really great treatment option.”

Even after being stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic, “when [the Pop-PA research team] decided to reimplement the program last year [in 2023], [BodyWorks and UBC Counselling Services] were really excited to get it going,” Cassandra recalls.

To sum up the referral process: first, students seeking support are assessed at UBC Counselling Services, where mental health providers take into consideration the severity of their symptoms and their exercise background. If eligible, they enrol in a six-week exercise program at BodyWorks. Every week, students attend two one-hour long sessions, led by a BodyWorks trainer, tailored to their personal goals and abilities. Students are also recommended to do one more self-led session on their own.

What advantages does a guided exercise program have compared to exercising independently?

First, trainers offer the structure, support, and encouragement to help students grow their 1) sense of control and 2) confidence in sticking to and achieving their fitness goals. Further, the program helps students 3) feel connected by exercising with trainers in a safe, non-judgemental space. Overall, all three factors are crucial contributors in how exercise alleviates depressive symptoms.

Throughout the process, the Pop-PA research team facilitates communication and provides support within and between the two.

Together, they make taking the first steps in materializing a referral strategy a reality.

Exercise—does it really work?

“Perhaps many people may feel that someone with depression, maybe they would have more difficulties becoming more physically active and engaging in an exercise program,” Dr. Faulkner begins. The diagnostic criteria backs this up: depressive symptoms outlined in the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) includes having little interest in doing things and low energy, factors which may affect students’ abilities to function at school, work, and do other daily activities.

André explains how this knowledge impacted their approach: “we had basically told our instructors that they should anticipate that there was going to be times when [students] did not attend.” However, they found this was not the case.

“Students were registering for sessions, and they were regularly attending,” he recalls, saying it was a “pleasant surprise.” Such warm reception suggests that the referral process, in both making students aware of exercise as an intervention and how the program was run, was well-received enough to warrant most students’ retention.

Most importantly: does exercise improve depressive symptoms?

With optimism, Dr. Faulkner says “there was an improvement in mental health and an increase in physical activity as a result of participating in the program.” On average, during the 2023 to 2024 academic year, out of the 11 students who completed the program, the severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms decreased, while wellbeing and weekly minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity increased.

André also touches on the how students saw changes in the aforementioned contributors, potentially motivating these improvements: “[students] felt a sense of relatedness from coming here and working with the trainers. They also said that they felt more confident in their abilities to be active on their own.”

Tackling biases in mental health services

Outside of the student population, Lauren also reflects on the assumptions that came to light during her involvement with Mind In Motion.

Speaking from the perspective of mental health providers in general, Lauren reflects on how “[they] can get very attached to the ways that [they] work and sometimes forget about the other resources that may not seem as, perhaps, standard.” Getting involved in the actual referral process meant having to apply the research in practice, which she believes “really helps [them] as practitioners to remember this is a very valid, reliable, research-supported intervention.”

Seemingly a minor piece, awareness on the providers’ ends, serves as a significant first step that may prompt them to more carefully consider when it would be better to refer students to an exercise-based intervention, rather than more conventional ones. In turn, this ensures students are getting the specific care and resources that best aligns with their current mental health needs.

Long-term considerations for Mind In Motion

At its core, Mind In Motion is a learning, growing research project, with Cassandra expressing hopes that “[it will] continue on campus for many more years as a treatment option for students.” Hence, part of its research design involves getting insight from mental health providers, exercise practitioners, and student participants to improve further iterations.

First, there is a need to strengthen current educational structures to ensure there are sufficient well-trained practitioners to meet demands for these type of interventions in the future.

In turn, the Pop-PA research team hopes to include a work-learn training program as part of Mind In Motion in the future; under the guidance of a BodyWorks trainer, “fourth year kinesiology students will be leading the exercise sessions for Mind In Motion as a part of their coursework,” Cassandra details.

Moreover, in Canada, psychology has often been sidelined in traditional kinesiology curriculums, despite such strong connections between physical and mental health. In hopes of rectifying this, Madelaine discusses the valuable career-relevant skills that students will be able to learn and apply: “we're going to be able to connect students with the opportunity to learn about mental health, mental illness, and what person centered, responsive, ethical, and safe care looks like.”

Second, there is a need to account for demand efficiently.

Regarding referrals, Lauren commends the Pop-PA research team’s responsiveness to feedback as it has allowed Counselling Services to better integrate Mind In Motion into their existing services, reducing the time it takes for students to enrol into the exercise program: “we've streamlined the referral process, we've embedded it into our electronic health record, and when we've really tried to make it really easy and simple for our clinicians to make the referrals to get students connected as quickly and as smoothly as possible.”

Other possibilities to increase accessibility for students include implementing a self-referral system and allowing practitioners outside of Counselling Services to make referrals.

In consideration of how this intervention can be made available to more students, Mind In Motion is running as a group exercise program, in contrast to its initial model of having sessions be semi-private, during the 2024 to 2025 academic year.

There is also a social advantage to group sessions. “The program is designed to connect [students] with other peers who are also experiencing similar challenges and symptoms,” Lauren outlines, “and it's really kind of creating, in and of itself, a small community of support as well.”

Taken together, ensuring referral pathways are sustainable in the long run requires sufficient resources, adaptability, and persistence from all involved. If done right, Mind In Motion can foster a healthier student population where students have the tools and abilities to thrive to the best of their abilities.

Hopes beyond the campus grounds

Ultimately, the benefits establishing an effective referral pathway for an exercise-based mental health intervention are boundless.

Exercise, being a cost-effective, accessible, and holistic option, holds the potential to improve the mental wellbeing of many. Lessons from Mind In Motion may be used as a foundation for how similar interventions can be carried out within the community, outside of the “optimal environment” of UBC’s Point Grey campus.

Eventually, the greatest wish is for exercise to be seen as a conventional treatment option, like medication or therapy, rather than an unusual one. Or as Madelaine puts it: “what we'd love to have happen is: exercise [is] offered as a standard treatment option to people experiencing depression—both in Canada and across the world.”

Learn more about the Project

Human Wellbeing & Social Systems

Update: Food Hub Market re-opens in CIRS

simarj — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 18:22:06 +0000

Update: Food Hub Market re-opens in CIRS simarj Thu, 11/03/2022 - 11:22

Student-led market providing at-cost food and more to the campus community.

The Food Hub Market is student-led, not-for-profit community space operating on the main floor of CIRS. The Market provides at-cost groceries for students and others in the community, and works to promote social connection, cultural diversity, and access to affordable food basics at UBC Vancouver.

Location: 2260 West Mall

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 10:30-6:30

The Food Hub Market started as a pilot during the winter of 2022, as one of a suite of initiatives seeking to address food insecurity at UBC. Research has consistently shown between 30-40% of students are food insecure, which impacts mental, physical and social wellbeing and educational attainment. Universities have an important and multi-faceted role to play in addressing food insecurity on their campuses and the solutions must be systemic and inclusive, in addition to options for immediate relief.

At UBC, the CLL funded Community Food Hub project used a student-driven, research-led approach to prioritizing community needs for provide support services and programs, such as the Food Hub Market.

More about Food Hub Market

Learn more about the CLL Project

Human Wellbeing & Social Systems

Interview: Dr. Inge Roecker, Andrew Parr, Dr. Alina McKay

dlopez — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 18:01:59 +0000

Interview: Dr. Inge Roecker, Andrew Parr, Dr. Alina McKay dlopez Fri, 08/12/2022 - 11:01

We interviewed project leads Dr. Inge Roecker, Associate Professor at the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Andrew Parr, Associate Vice-President, Student Housing and Community Services (SHCS), and Dr. Alina McKay, Housing Research Collaborative (HRC) Coordinator.

“We don’t have a strong understanding of how building technology impacts wellbeing, mental health and physical health. We have some theories, but we are lacking empirical basis. This is the rationale for this project.” Explains Alina McKay, research coordinator of the project and post-doctoral researcher at the School of Community and Regional Planning.

With the recent introduction of UBC Campus Vision 2050 – a planning process to re-imagine and update land use policies for UBC – campus neighbourhoods are expected to undergo significant changes in the next 30 years.

Among them Acadia Park, one of UBC's neighbourhoods offering accommodation to student families. Acadia Park not only represents an interesting case to study due to the different housing types it offers (tower, mid-rise, and low-rise buildings), but it also hosts what project leads define as “a very special community.”

“There are young families there, mostly graduate students, surrounded by a community who is having a similar life experience,” explains Andrew Parr, Associate Vice-President of Student Housing & Community Services and co-lead of the project, “Residents in Acadia Park are very passionate about where they live”.

Through the use of three design charrettes, the project team will try to understand what is important and valuable to the community and what could be improved. By adopting this approach, residents are deemed experts and they can start a conversation about the future of their community and how they envision it. Methods like visual narratives, walking tours and photovoice will be adopted in the charrettes to allow people to share their experiences. For instance, residents will be given a camera to document their daily lives in Acadia.

“I am really interested in seeing the relationship between sustainability and sociability, but I am also curious to learn how the built environment affects connections between the inside of a house, the private living space, and the outside, the shared living space”, says Inge Roecker, Associate Professor at the School of Architecture + Landscape Architecture and co-lead of the project. She also adds that COVID-19 and the possibility to work from home significantly changed the way people interact with their living environment.

However, the project is not about informing imminent change in Acadia Park. “We need to make it clear to participants that the neighbourhood will remain unchanged for at least the next 15 years,” clarifies Andrew Parr “The aim of this research is to understand what residents value the most in their neighbourhood, what elements they would like to preserve”.

In fact, the importance of the project transcends the UBC Vancouver campus. Findings, which will be shared interactively through multiple media, will be useful to other universities, but also to other communities in Canada seeking to gain a better understanding of what constitutes good housing and good neighbourhoods. This is especially relevant now that we are experiencing a worldwide housing crisis. Lessons learned through this research are going to be valuable for the development of new housing in the future.

Learn more about the CLL Project

Built Environment & Mobility

Human Wellbeing & Social Systems

Interview: Sara Kozicky, Min Jung Kim, Amy Dong

dlopez — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 17:43:00 +0000

Interview: Sara Kozicky, Min Jung Kim, Amy Dong dlopez Fri, 08/12/2022 - 10:43

Food Insecurity Project Manager at UBC Wellbeing, Sara Kozicky – along with students Min Jung Kim and Amy Dong – offered insight into the need for and work towards establishing a Community Food Security Hub at UBC.

Concerns around food security are increasingly common, especially in higher education settings. Initiatives like food banks or emergency food programs are often adopted as a response, but they represent temporary measures and do not have the ability to comprehensively address food insecurity.

“The main and overarching component of the project was developing a strategy for envisioning a Community Food Security Hub on the UBC Vancouver campus,” explains Sara Kozicky, project lead. “To do so, we realized that involving the community was central and we adopted community-based participatory action research as the main method for engagement.”

The Community Food Security Hub differs from other CLL projects due to its strong student leadership component. “Ever since the beginning, students were given a leadership role,” says Min Jung Kim, a work-learn student who has been working on the project since its kickoff. “We would play a major role in the initial stakeholder consultation, but also in planning and conducting community engagement.”

The UBC community was engaged through various activities, such as dialogue sessions and community meals, both online and in-person. Throughout engagement sessions, students working on the project had the opportunity to ask how participants envisioned the Community Food Security Hub. These engagement sessions were made possible thanks to partnerships with student groups like AMS student clubs, Sprouts, and Agora, as well as other major student-led food security leaders on campus.

“People want to see a very welcoming, inclusive, and accessible space that reminds them of ‘grandma’s living room’” says Amy Dong, another work-learn student involved in the project. “People are genuinely interested in food security; I was impressed by all the ideas that they shared”.

While a Community Food Security Hub is clearly centred around food and access to food, what most people mentioned in the engagement session was that they envisioned a space that could give them a sense of community, as well as a place that fostered relationships and allowed for diverse representation. Additionally, people showed support for areas that intersect with food insecurity, such as mental health, and financial and academic support.

The project team has carefully collected inputs provided by the UBC community and is now moving towards the next step of the project – the launch of the Community Food Security Hub – expected in fall 2022.

“The model we are envisioning involves a central, physical location, probably including the Food Hub Market, which we have already introduced and is a low-cost grocery store at the bottom of CIRS,” explains Min. “But, considering what emerged in the engagement sessions, we want to install multiple locations to enhance physical accessibility and frequency of usage. These locations could be managed by partners.”

Partners who envisioned the Community Food Security Hub will support its development and remain involved in the future beyond the engagement phase.

It will be one of the first of its kind in a post-secondary institute in Canada, re-affirming UBC’s commitment to lead health promotion action as guided by the Okanagan Charter.

Learn more about the CLL Project

Human Wellbeing & Social Systems

Production, Consumption & Waste

Interview: Andrew Parr, Associate Vice-President, Student Housing and Community Services

dlopez — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 06:12:41 +0000

Interview: Andrew Parr, Associate Vice-President, Student Housing and Community Services dlopez Thu, 08/11/2022 - 23:12

Andrew Parr, Associate Vice-President of Student Housing and Community Services, speaks to the challenges and opportunities posed when balancing fiduciary duty with climate action. A resource for UBC Faculty to identify a co-lead for their project, or to identify who to contact for approvals.

What is the operational role of your unit on campus?

SHCS is responsible for the business and community service operations of Student Housing, Food Services, Conferences and Accommodations, UBC Bookstore, Parking, and Child Care Services. We are an ancillary division of UBC, meaning we are fully self supporting and self funded, including all costs of operations, capital investments and mortgages, via revenues generated from operations. We are responsible to build, maintain, and steward our assets (including over 14,000 student residence bed spaces on both campuses), to foster safe and caring communities through residence life programming, services and supports, and to deliver high quality services that meet or exceed the needs of the UBC community and visitors to both our beautiful campuses.

What are your most urgent and pressing challenges?

There are few urgent and pressing challenges we are facing right now:

Fiscal viability in light of the COVID-19 pandemic – provision of long term sustainable business operations that meet the needs of the community, allow us to apply our commitments to sustainability, and meet our financial commitments.
Student Housing Demand – despite $.5B in investment and 5000 new beds on the Vancouver campus, demand continues to exceed supply. Building and operating sustainable, high quality and affordable housing continues to be a focus and challenge.
Food insecurity and sustainable food systems – we operate a $50M food operation at UBCV; we have food values built on culinary excellence and sustainability – meeting marketplace needs while continuing to be leaders in the provision of a sustainable food system has its challenges. Find out more about our Food Vision and Values.
Sustainable Transportation Management and the impact on Parking at UBC – we are supportive of having more sustainable transportation options to and from UBC (including the Skytrain) and of changing behaviours associated with commuting, but also recognize the financial implications of a significant reduction in vehicles travelling to and from campus from a parking perspective.
Climate action – through SHCS-lead developments, capital renewal, and operations how do we best balance our financial and operational needs while supporting UBC’s commitments to climate action.

What potential research opportunities excite you the most, with regard to your unit’s function?

We are supportive of research associated with any of the above challenges and priorities. Not noted above but a topic of interest to us in SHCS is the impact, challenges, opportunities and strategies associated with behaviour change. We support a community of over 14,000 student residents and serve the entire community of both the UBCV and UBCO campuses. With this comes an opportunity, perhaps a responsibility, to influence the long term behaviour of those we serve, particularly students who live in student housing.

What are your operational constraints in incubating on-the-ground research?

Three come to mind:

Financial – doing the right thing comes at a cost that is not sustainable under current conditions.
Livability – we must ensure that decisions associated with climate action (reducing energy load for example) do not create a physical environment that is not accepted by current users.
Access to resources – both human and financial resources – to give time and energy to these very real and challenging issues.

Learn more about the CLL Project

Built Environment & Mobility

Human Wellbeing & Social Systems