Vancouver: Sustainability

High School Program

Recognizing the pivotal role of Vancouver’s private sector in addressing and adapting to climate change, this program explores the alignment of the market-based economy with planetary realities. Infusing a climate-focused perspective into an extensive range of topics, such as economics, entrepreneurship, Indigenous reconciliation, and supply chain management, this program reflects Vancouver’s evolving attitude towards climate in the business realm over the past decade.

The Future of ESG and Impact Investing

Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) and impact investing represent the future of ethical finance, where investors have the power to influence corporations to adopt sustainable, ethical practices that contribute to the well-being of both people and the planet. This theme encourages students to rethink the role of business in solving global challenges, showing them how investment strategies can align with their values and make a positive difference in the world.

Through a simulation activity, students take on the role of investors, making decisions that demonstrate the ripple effect of capital allocation on corporate behavior. By seeing how financial choices can influence real-world outcomes, students will be empowered to think critically about how they can contribute to a more sustainable and equitable economy.


About Vancouver

Vancouver is an ideal destination for student travel programs, offering a perfect blend of natural beauty, cutting-edge innovation, and rich cultural experiences. Nestled between mountains and the Pacific Ocean, Vancouver provides students with immersive learning opportunities that span from environmental sustainability to indigenous cultural heritage. Known for its commitment to green technology, social responsibility, and cultural diversity, the city is a hub for exploring important themes like climate action, sustainable development, and social entrepreneurship.

Theme alternatives

Fully customizable authentic experiences

At Insight, our program itineraries are as unique as your students. All our program itineraries are customized with teacher chaperones to ensure that it meets the needs of your students.

With the support of a variety of local vendors and NGO’s, we promise that your students will get an authentic, local experience.

What's included

All our trips include:

Program highlights

  • Green energy solutions at BC Hydro: Dive into the role of hydroelectric power in the city’s economy, exploring both its benefits and challenges.
  • Extracting thermal energy: Tour the False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility and witness how waste thermal energy from sewage is repurposed to heat homes.
  • Meet with experts from the Globe Series, who work with organizations to create sustainable solutions that benefit both society and the environment.
  • Sustainable fashion workshop to learn about slow fashion and conscious consumption, emphasizing the importance of making ethical choices in both business and everyday life.

How it works

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Want to take your students outside the classroom? Review our program locations and suggested themes.

Connect with one of our High School Educators who will help custom design your program.

With our assistance, submit required paperwork and details to your Administration and School Board.

Announce the trip to your students! (We’ll provide all the materials you need).

Invite us to your school to host a Student & Parent Info Night! We will be there to answer questions and support student sign-up!

Sample Itinerary

Welcome to Vancouver!

Meet with members of the League of Innovators, a national Canadian charity that empowers young people to make impactful decisions in their life and career. Students will learn about the foundations and principles of environmental, social and corporate governance, otherwise known as ESG, and impact investing. Later participate in a simulation activity that will demonstrate how investors can be empowered to positively influence corporations to make the world a better place for all.

Experience the impact of social and sustainable entrepreneurship by visiting Recycling Alternative, a leadership driven non-profit that specializes in sustainable waste management. Learn about their zero waste fleet, on-site composting technology and their research and development on closed-loop solutions for bioplastics. Later, meet with Threading Change, an international youth-led organization working to achieve and educate youth on the impacts of the textile industry and the importance of conscious consumption. Students will learn about slow fashion and participate in a dyeing workshop.

Visit BC Hydro’s headquarters in downtown Vancouver and unpack the pros and cons of hydroelectricity for a green economy. Then, tour the False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility and witness how they use waste thermal energy captured from sewage to provide space heating and hot water to buildings in Southeast False Creek, and surrounding areas.

Vancouver has a global reputation for being one of the greenest cities in the world. Venture on foot through an interactive walking tour that explores some of the city’s unique green technology features. Then, engage with Globe Series, a Vancouver-based collective of like-minded sustainability and climate experts who help organizations create value and have a positive impact on society.

Travel by Ferry from Vancouver, BC to Nanaimo, BC. Upon arrival to Vancouver Island, participate in a Saysutshun Cultural Tour. Only accessible by boat, join a Snuneymuxw guide who will introduce you to the Snuneymuxw First Nations sacred village sites, traditions, and cultural history.

 

Meet with local Nanaimo city changemakers to learn how they’re taking a radical approach to economic development for the city through the principles of Doughnut Economics. Then, visit Port Alberni. Experience the old growth forest of Cathedral Grove at MacMillan Provincial Park where the internationally significant Coastal Western Hemlock Biogeoclimatic Zone lays. Later, take a tour of McLean Mill National Historic Site, a former sawmill located in the Alberni Valley of Vancouver Island.

Take the ferry back to Vancouver and begin your journey home.

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