TRU Sustainability Office
We welcome your questions on environmental sustainability initiatives, and your suggestions on how to further reduce TRU’s carbon footprint on campus and in the community in the areas of energy, water, food, recycling and zero-waste, transportation, reporting, materials and engagement. » Contact Us
Vision
To drive groundbreaking sustainability innovations with others, empower future leaders, and set a global standard for environmental responsibility that restores our planet.
Mission
To empower TRU and surrounding communities to make sustainable choices and become leaders in building an environmentally-conscious future.
Values
Collaborative Relationships
We value collaboration built on respect, transparency, and strong communication. We create an inclusive space where we understand each other's strengths and challenges, working together toward shared goals.
Open-mindedness
Embracing flexibility and systems thinking, we remain open to new ideas and approaches, driving continuous improvement and creative problem-solving.
Future-readiness
Taking purposeful action, we create room for both hard work and enjoyable moments, fostering engagement and a sense of hope.
Meet the team
Sandra Jasinoski
Sustainability Director
250-852-7657
sjasinoski@tru.ca
Natalie Yao
Energy Manager
250-852-7256
nyao@tru.ca
Natalie's bio
Originally from China, Natalie grew up interested in wildlife and enjoyed being outside in nature. Shortly after graduating from North China Electrical Power University, with a degree in industry engineering, Natalie left Beijing and traveled to Europe.
In the Netherlands, Natalie was able to combine her interest in how power was generated with seeking clean energy solutions. After spending two years completing a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science, she headed to Canada to further her education in environmental engineering.
After finishing a Master’s degree in Engineering at UBC, Canada is now Natalie’s home by choice. She sees great potential for Canada to adopt clean energy solutions with gas, electricity, and water, thereby preventing waste from happening and contaminants from entering our waters.
With her engineering background, Natalie was hired by TRU as an energy specialist. Calculating the energy savings when outdated systems are replaced with alternative energy, or energy efficient equipment, is Natalie’s specialty. She likes numbers and the savings she can foresee when switching to cleaner energy sources.
As part of FortisBC’s commitment to working with community scale district energy, Natalie joined TRU’s Office of Environment and Sustainability. With her position funded by FortisBC, Natalie is working with her colleagues, and TRU’s Facilities Services, to implement equipment upgrades and more energy efficient systems, fueled by natural gas.
The switch in infrastructure has its challenges for older buildings. What is even more important for Natalie, however, is to support TRU facilities staff as they learn to maintain buildings fueled with sustainable technologies. By getting involved and learning why sustainable initiatives benefit us all, she’s optimistic TRU will meet its carbon reduction expectations.
Natalie knows it’s hard to change our energy behaviour overnight. She also likes to remind everyone that we can all play a role in saving energy.
