Healthy Urban Ecosystem
Campus climate leadership
Here are some of the assets, programs and initiatives underway at TRU to try and maintain a healthy ecosystem on its campus.
Campus tree program
This one-year pilot will hopefully be continued past its June 30 anniversary. TRU departments involved include: grounds, horticulture, Indigenous education, and sustainability.
Horticulture gardens
This TRU jewel demonstrates outstanding gardening practices, is a living lab for students and faculty, and provides a beautiful and relaxing oasis for TRU members and visitors to visit.
Landscape advisory committee
The committee’s responsibilities are to recommend guidelines for landscape development on TRU campuses.
Biodiversity subcommittee.
This new subcommittee is tasked with taking steps to ensure healthy biodiversity on the TRU campuses.
Integrated pest management program
The TRU campus is managed in accordance with an integrated pest management program, which uses selected chemicals only when needed.
Water irrigation audit
This audit is the first step to make sure water is being used effectively on the 100-hectare Kamloops campus
Bird strike film program
This program has identified hot spots on campus buildings where birds have crashed into windows. The process has started to apply plastic film on these windows to prevent future bird strikes.
Grounds maintenance department
This department is responsible for providing a safe, functional and aesthetically pleasing exterior environment for the students, faculty, staff and visitors to the university.
Horticulture department
This department teaches students about many of the fundamentals of plant life, one of the cornerstones of healthy urban ecosystems. Horticulture is the culture of vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers, turf grass and ornamental plants.
Walking trails on campus
Enjoying a walking trail has the benefits of appreciating the natural environment you’re in, hopefully wanting to take action to preserve or enhance it and providing a positive activity for one’s mental and physical health.
TRU anti-idling guideline
The guideline aims to achieve the goal of reducing energy use and air emissions from mobile sources.
TRU rainwater management guideline
TRU is looking into how to improve upon this guideline in order to better manage storm water run-off so that it becomes a resource to manage instead of something to get rid of as simply as possible.
Three things you can do
1
Get involved in one or more of the things listed above, or something at TRU not on the list.
2
Don’t litter — anything! — and even pick up other people’s litter (it’s really not a big deal).
3
Enjoy the natural environment and take care of it.