May 2026 – Sustainability Office & TRU horaizon
Sustainability isn’t a side commitment at TRU – it’s foundational. horaizon carries that same conviction into AI, ensuring our approach is good for our communities, good for the land, and built to last. We believe TRU can set a new standard on defining what ‘responsible AI’ means.
TRU is a values-first institution, and sustainability is one of our biggest ambitions. In fact, it’s one of TRU’s four core values. We have three major goals for the next five years:
- In 2026, TRU becoming the second university in Canada (of only 14 globally) to achieve a third Platinum designation under the prestigious STARS reporting framework
- By 2027, TRU is a world-class university in sustainability
- Hero for Zero: we aim to be one of the first universities in North America to reach net zero in campus operations by 2030 – five years ahead of UBC, ten years ahead of McGill, and twenty years ahead of Western. You can read more about these commitments at: tru.ca/hero-for-zero
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions — often measured as carbon equivalents — has been a key priority at Thompson Rivers University since the Sustainability Office was established in 2009. The university’s near-term goal is to achieve carbon neutrality, with longer-term ambitions to go even further by exploring carbon-negative approaches. These efforts reflect the growing global urgency around climate change and the need to both reduce emissions and rethink how energy is used.
One of the most significant initiatives underway at TRU is the development of the Low-Carbon District Energy System (LCDES), a campus-wide energy system currently under construction at the Kamloops campus and scheduled for completion in 2026. The system will dramatically reduce emissions associated with heating campus buildings, which historically relied on natural gas.
The LCDES works by producing hot water using high-efficiency air-source and water-source heat pumps powered by BC Hydro’s largely renewable electricity grid. That heat will be distributed through underground pipes from a central facility, known as the Sustainability Powerhouse, to major campus buildings. Once complete, the system is projected to reduce heating-related carbon emissions on campus by approximately 95 per cent compared to 2020 levels.
TRU is also supplementing this system with on-site renewable energy. In 2025, the university installed a 540-panel solar array to help offset electricity use, supported by a BC Hydro incentive program. Other sustainability initiatives across campus include tree planting through the TRU Campus Tree Program, incentives for staff and faculty to purchase electric bicycles for commuting, energy optimization projects in partnership with BC Hydro, and programs encouraging lower-carbon transportation and food choices.
Alongside these sustainability efforts, TRU is also exploring the responsible use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. Through initiatives like TRU horaizon, the university is examining how AI can support research, teaching and operational efficiency while aligning with institutional values around sustainability and community impact.
Together, these initiatives reflect TRU’s commitment to reducing emissions while thoughtfully exploring the technologies and systems that will shape a more sustainable future.