The Continuing Studies Centre for Sustainability (CFS) is an educational organization at the University of British Columbia

University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...

. The Centre’s aim is to bring academic and industry expertise to the wider community by providing sustainability education and training programs for individuals, organizations and communities. Former British Columbia Premier and Vancouver Mayor Mike Harcourt

Mike Harcourt

Michael Franklin Harcourt served as the 30th Premier of the province of British Columbia in Canada from 1991 to 1996, and before that as the 34th mayor of BC's major city, Vancouver from 1980 to 1986....

 – a long-time advocate of sustainable cities and communities – is the associate director of the Centre.

Programs

Programs at the Centre for Sustainability include:

• Sustainability Management Program, for individuals who wish to take the lead in helping to build sustainability into their organizations.
• Summer Institute in Sustainability Leadership, an award-winning one-week professional development program focused on developing organization-wide sustainability policies, procedures and projects.
• Certificate in Decision Making for Climate Change, an online program offered jointly with 3 partner universities with the aim of providing students with the most up-to-date knowledge on climate change issues, including how to develop and implement an effective response plan.
• Green Building and LEED® Credentials, in-depth professional development courses in Passive House
  Passive house
  The term passive house refers to the rigorous, voluntary, Passivhaus standard for energy efficiency in a building, reducing its ecological footprint. It results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling. A similar standard, MINERGIE-P, is used in...
  
   construction and courses on green building and the LEED®
  Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
  Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
  
   certification system.

UBC Continuing Studies units also collaborate with community partners to offer free public lectures and podcasts that share perspectives and encourage debate on sustainability topics.

Leadership

• Mike Harcourt, Associate Director
• William Koty, Director
• Katie Jane Morrell, Program Leader
• Diana McKenzie, Program Leader

Educational Aims

• Vision: A world that understands, desires, and pursues sustainability.

• Mission: To serve as a catalyst for empowering people and mobilizing ideas, resources and organizations to help encourage sustainable communities, locally and globally. In pursuit of this mission, we commit to engage and inform adult learners by developing relevant and inspirational educational programs that responds to the emerging opportunities, challenges and needs in the field of sustainability, and that leverage expertise and relationships from UBC and the wider community.

External links

• UBC Continuing Studies Centre for Sustainability Official Website
• University of British Columbia Official Website
• Green Ideas Sustain Harcourt The Vancouver Province (2009-02-08)