UPEI made some green history on Tuesday.
Twenty-two of the 27 buildings on campus received environmental certification from a national program launched in 2005 by BOMA Canada.
It is the only university in Atlantic Canada to receive such a certification and one of only two post-secondary institutions in the region, the other being Nova Scotia Community College.
David Taylor, manager of environmental services at UPEI, says the certification allows the university to do two things.
"It allows us to show our commitment to sustainability and environmental change here on campus and it allows us to benchmark,'' Taylor said.
By benchmark, he means goals to set for in the future.
BOMA Best (building environmental standards) is a national program designed to address an industry need for realistic standards for energy and environmental performance of existing buildings based on accurate, independently verified information. BOMA Canada is the Buildings Owners and Managers Association of Canada.
Debbie McGrath, president of BOMA New Brunswick, said the certification should send a clear message.
"Just the fact they care enough to put the time and the effort (into sustainability),'' McGrath said minutes after driving over from New Brunswick with 22 separate plaques in tow.
"The monetary expense is minimal compared to the time and the work that has gone into doing all the research. To say 22 buildings applied and 22 buildings reached the level of minimum status really is an incredible accomplishment and we're extremely proud.''
UPEI didn't do anything specific to garner the certifications but the university did have to have energy and water audits carried out on each of the buildings as a prerequisite.
The audits were completed in February 2010 and while they don't necessarily mean the university has to implement anything new, they do have to identify areas where energy and water efficiency could be improved.
McGrath said UPEI's 22 buildings attained level 1 and 2s. Their scale goes to a maximum of level 4.
To achieve the first two levels, McGrath said the buildings must have all policies in regards to recycling and energy reduction in place, as well as anything that impacts the environment.
From a financial perspective, the university should see some expenditures go down.
"We see benefits in terms of cost savings and energy savings, energy reductions. We've become energy efficient. We've become more environmentally friendly so we're actually cutting our carbon output,'' Taylor said.
Gary Bradshaw, vice-president of finance facilities at UPEI, said the savings will ease the strain on budgets going forward.
As to whether it will help recruit more students, Taylor said it can't hurt.
"There is a very strong push to environmentalism these days and from that perspective . . . it's the right thing to do,'' he said.
