BCIT offers a wide variety of courses related to sustainability and the environment, with more being offered every semester.
Resources
For online resources to help you incorporate sustainability into courses and programs, view our Sustainability Curriculum Resources [PDF] .
Advancing Sustainability in higher education
Since 2006, BCIT has been a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), a group of North American campuses working to advance sustainability. AASHE campus sustainability resources are free for BCIT faculty and staff. Simply register with your BCIT email to get access to the sustainability policy bank, publications, classroom materials, and links for campus operations efforts.
SDGs-in-the-Classroom Toolkit
This comprehensive set of case studies, lesson plans, videos, and activities are to help faculty incorporate sustainability and equity topics into curriculum. The toolkit was developed at York University and includes teaching resources for each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as discipline-specific materials. The Trades and Technology section also references BCIT’s Living Labs initiative.
Greening Construction Trades in Canada – Faculty Training Modules
Developed by Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan), this resource equips instructors with the tools and knowledge to integrate climate change awareness and Indigenous perspectives into construction trades education in support of a sector pivot to Net Zero. The guide includes orienting sections on sustainability and climate change, Indigenizing and decolonizing, as well as specific modules for carpentry, electrical, landscaping, and HVACR.
SDG Toolkit for Canadian Colleges and Institutes
Also from CICan is this inventory of emerging practices that integrate the SDGs into all aspects of Canadian post-secondary institutions. The toolkit has sections for finance and administration, academic, student and community, physical infrastructure, applied research, governance, and international. The Academic section showcases several examples of how the SDGs are embedded in learning and teaching, faculty and curriculum development, co-curricular student experiences, and place-based experiential learning. The SDGs at BCIT webpages are also referenced.
Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum
UTHC is a cross-institution, cross-sector, and cross-disciplinary initiative for student mental health that aims to support a learner’s academic, personal, and professional development. The toolkit consists of 54 skills/topics categorized into 5 domains: executive function, communication, critical thinking, intra- and interpersonal, and social accountability. Each skill/topic is organized as a module that includes content and resources for both students and educators. The Social Accountability section offers resources particularly relevant to BCIT’s IDEAS Lens.
IDEAS Guiding Document for Academic Planning and Quality Assurance (APQA) [PDF]
An initial resource developed using BCIT’s IDEAS Lens, this guide was designed for BCIT’s Self-Study Teams to consider how Indigenization, student well-being, equity, universal accessibility, and sustainability are reflected in a program or proposed program. It includes guiding questions and examples as suggested ideas for implementation.
Stories
Examples of sustainability-related educational initiatives at BCIT inspire other instructors and demonstrate how sustainability can be integrated into diverse learning environments.
Teaching sustainability
Many people are passionate about social and environmental issues and sustainable business practices, but only a relative few are making a career with that passion. In 2007, Dr. Mark Giltrow incorporated sustainability into his School of Business course on leadership and organizational change. In 2012, the School launched its Advanced Diploma in Sustainable Business Leadership, the only program of its kind in BC. A lot has changed since then and the Program has been updated with the new curriculum launching in the Fall of 2020.
Recognition of restoration efforts
In 2004, BCIT’s then Fish, Wildlife & Recreation Program Head Mark Angelo, an internationally renowned river advocate and Order of Canada recipient, was an inaugural recipient of the United Nations International Year of Fresh Water Science, Education and Conservation Awards. His Riverworld website features explorations of some of the world’s great waterways, and is dedicated to the conservation of these global treasures. It shows the development of his two world-renowned presentations — Riverworld, and Wild Water, Wild Earth.
Mark Angelo, former head of the BCIT Fish, Wildlife, and Recreation program, has used technology to make eco-minded educational initiatives available to all.
- The Explore the Fraser website helps learners understand the history, ecology, and importance of the Fraser River.
- Rivers Institute focuses on the conservation of the world’s waterways, and records journeys along famous rivers. This information is the basis for two of Mark’s world-renowned presentations — River Institute, and Wild Water, Wild Earth.