Located in a city with the most moderate weather in Canada, the University of Victoria (UVic) is green almost year-round and has again been named one of Canada's Greenest Employers.
For the twelfth time, UVic has received the national award which is organized by the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. The award recognizes Canadian employers that lead the nation in creating a culture of environmental awareness in their organizations. UVic is one of only three BC universities to be recognized for their exceptional sustainability initiatives and environmental leadership.
We are proud of our leadership and commitment to green initiatives and action on climate change and sustainability it is part of what defines us as a university community. It is an honour to be named a green employer for the twelfth time. We continue to work together to address and adapt to global challenges through the implementation of UVic's Climate and Sustainability Action Plan."
Mike Wilson, director of campus planning and sustainability
Sustainable initiatives that supported UVic's selection in the Canada's Greenest Employers list for 2026 include:
- Bringing back the popular Repair Cafe event that brings together students, faculty and employees from different backgrounds to assist with fixing electronics and other broken objects for reuse rather than ending up in landfill. The initiative also provides an opportunity to learn how many day-to-day items can be repaired for extended use and not simply tossed away.
- Promoting active transportation among employees through initiatives like a formal campus cycling plan, a Cycling Advisory Committee, transit subsidies, and subsidies for car-sharing memberships. Also, the BikeHub program hosts regular bike repair workshops and refurbishes old bicycles that can be loaned out to staff and students.
- Supporting a campus community garden that hosts regular gardening workshops and is serving as the testbed for an innovative water use reduction strategy. In addition, UVic is pioneering the Edible Campus pilot project to introduce food plantings across the campus.
Canada's Greenest Employers competition is now in its 16th year. UVic was also recognized as one of BC's Top Employers and as a Best Diversity Employer in 2026.
Learn about UVic's leadership in sustainability and how you can get involved in greening campus even further.
