Investigating the overall ecological footprint of the University of the University of British Columbia Point Grey Campus Food System

Abstract

The Faculty of Land of Food Systems in the University of British Columbia (UBC) has been researching and implementing sustainability initiatives through the Agricultural Sciences (AGSC) classes for several years, however, there is no current quantitative measure of the success of these programs. Therefore, our group has been assigned to investigate the feasibility of conducting an Ecological Footprint Analysis (EFA) of the food system at the UBC Point Grey Campus. A literature review of previous academic institutions that have conducted an EFA was performed and the findings of Colorado College in the United States and the University of New Castle in Australia have been summarized. We also reviewed the partial analysis of the Pendulum Restaurant performed here at UBC and have determined how the knowledge gained from the project could be applied to an analysis of the entire food system. We then reviewed various methods available for carrying out an EFA and have determined that the component-based method used in the Pendulum Restaurant partial analysis would be the most practicable. We have provided a clear description of what we feel is the definition of the UBC food system and explained our reasoning behind this, as well as provided sample calculations that would be needed for an EFA. Lastly, we have summarized our main findings and made recommendations that pertain to the 2009 AGSC 450 students and teaching team. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofUnreviewedUndergraduat