UBC Sustainability Hub and Learning Exchange: Making Climate Research Accessible to Inform Climate Justice Policy

Background of the organization

The University of British Columbia (UBC) Sustainability Hub integrates sustainability into teaching, learning and student engagement activities, alongside local and regional partners. The Sustainability Hub also acts as a convenor for UBC’s work on the climate emergency. The UBC Learning Exchange is a non-traditional academic space operating in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) community since 1999. It brings people together who might otherwise not connect – a hub where ideas can be exchanged. The organization’s work is grounded in the value of a learning exchange – the idea that learning is a ‘two-way street’. It welcomes and empowers people from the DTES and UBC to build capacity – and create a better future. Three community organizations will be engaging as part of this collective project: EMBERS Eastside Works, Working Gear and Recycling Alternative. 

Project description

Funding will be used for an applied, engaged-research project involving UBC students and staff, as well as community organizations’ members, under the project: Making Climate Research Accessible to Inform Climate Justice Policy. The objectives are to share accessible information about climate change with DTES residents and provide training through community partners on climate impacts and programs in Vancouver. The project will co-develop strategies to make climate data and research meaningful to DTES residents, and to provide them with skills and resources to participate in climate policy and program development with the City of Vancouver through peer training and supporting residents’ self-advocacy. The new BC First Nations Climate Action Plan will inform all aspects of the project.