Sustainability and environmental protection have been core values at Pearson College UWC since the College welcomed its first students in 1974. The campus setting within the grandeur of the Pacific rainforest and on lands and adjacent to waters watched over since time immemorial by Indigenous ecological stewards demands as much.
Late last month, we were proud to enrich this key Strategic Plan commitment with the appointment of Aileen Lee and Melody Miu as co-leads for the new position of Sustainability Coordinator for the College, effective Dec. 1, 2022. Lee and Miu bring complementary perspectives to the part-time role and are uniquely positioned to tap into the energy and ideas of two groups who will be essential to sustainability initiatives — alumni and current students.
“Sustainability is engrained into UWC’s mission and that was what brought me here in the first place,” said Lee, the College’s Alumni Relations Coordinator. “One of the reasons why I was interested in this role was because as a new resident on campus, I was able to recognize potential areas for growth and development in terms of sustainability.”
“And to be honest,” she added, “the absolute main reason why I decided to take on this role was really that I was inspired by the alumni community. While seeking alumni mentors for the Climate Action Leadership Diploma, I had the privilege to connect with many Pearson alumni in the sustainability field.
“After attending a Global Village Speaker Series hosted by alumni, I saw firsthand the movers and shakers who care, want to act, and contribute to our campus and the world. “It brought me back to UWC’s mission and made me reflect on how I can be of help. In this role, I hope to be able to leverage and collaborate with experts in the field. Together, we can foster a culture on campus that reduces waste, improves energy efficiency, and offset our emissions.
“I am excited to be working with my co-lead, Melody, and campus committees to capture a variety of voices as we prepare a sustainability development plan that incorporates different perspectives.’
As Admissions Director, Miu is among the first persons on campus who get to ‘meet’ and know incoming students and she continues to work with them throughout their two-year trajectories while they are learning and living on campus.
“Having had the privilege to work and live on different UWC campuses, I’ve had the opportunity to compare practices in different campuses and noted the immense opportunities for growth in our capacity to lead sustainability efforts as a UWC and also out of a sense of responsibility as an uninvited guest on the land of Sc’ianew First Nation.
“In my admissions work, I read many applications of inspiring young students who joined Pearson with the commitment to make ‘peace and sustainable future’ their life-long mission,” added Miu. “It is therefore the vision in my role, together with Aileen, who does amazing work with alumni, to facilitate and create platforms for students to continue their passion and talent on campus and to allow them to take ownership of the efforts.
“I am also hoping to explore tangible actions that our entire campus community could take to achieve our net zero goal by collaborating with the greater Victoria community and leaning on resources of our greater network.”
Vice President of Operations Ty Pile, who oversees many specific sustainability initiatives on campus adds that the leadership provided by the coordinators and the energy of those who step forward to serve on-campus working groups are essential, the goals outlined in the College’s current Strategic Plan aim high and will require buy-in and efforts from across the entire campus community.