About Us

From Common Energy UVic

Common Energy is a network of university, community, and regional partners working to create solutions to the problems of climate change. Launched by students working in and with the University of Victoria Sustainability Project, Common Energy now has hubs at UVic and UBC. We have worked with many other groups to develop the Campus Climate Network to integrate BC's universities and colleges. These institutions can be catalysts for the social transformations required to turn the threat of climate change into an opportunity to protect the diversity of life, and create prosperous societies. Common Energy UVic works to effect regional change using the tools available at the university. We have launched the goBEYOND project with the Campus Climate Network to help realize our univeresity's potential. If you are new to Common Energy and are craving more background information about our structure and goals, Check out our new member guide!

[edit] What we want

We want to move UVic beyond climate-neutral. Moving beyond climate-neutral means that a person or institution does more to solve the problems of climate change than it does to cause them. This emphasizes both the need to reduce our contributions to the problem, and the opportunity we have to create solutions. What would it look like for a university to move beyond climate-neutral? We've developed a Guide to Move UVic Beyond Climate-Neutral to provide some initial answers to that question.

How can we do more to solve the problems of climate change then we do to cause them?

Universities have a particular opportunity to contribute in the long struggle against climate change. They are places where people can come together to find the right questions to ask, develop the right answers for their region, and begin to create appropriate change. The enormous economic and physical presence of a university gives it the power to take responsibility for its contributions to climate change and take advantage of innovative thinking to benefit the city and region. Read more about: the opportunity of the university.

[edit] How we work

From students to researchers to homeowners and from activists to administrators and politicians, we bring together the people with the passion and expertise to respond to climate change. Developing working relationships is integral to achieving our goal. To facilitate collaboration, Common Energy created a planning process called Common Ground. This process involves a cycle of conferences and focus area discussions and research to collaboratively generate the beyond climate-neutral plan. In the process, people educate, inspire, and engage one another to create changes that are grounded in the practicalities of their place, and driven by the necessity for transformation.

Our philosophy for change is based on the power of networks of people and institutions to achieve common goals. The Common Ground process was developed to facilitate the self-organization of these networks of people. Building on Progress: A Guide to Moving UVic Beyond Climate-Neutral is the output of that planning process.

We are now launching the goBEYOND project to challenge inviduals and the institution to go beyond climate-neutral.

There are many different ways to get involved.

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