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SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Sustainable Cities and Communities – Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

TRU contributes to sustainable community development through research, planning, and partnerships that make Kamloops and other regions more resilient and inclusive, while Strategic Research and Strategic Internationalization Plans extend this commitment globally.

» Learn more about SDG 11

TRU welcomes the public to experience its campus as a shared space for learning, reflection and connection with nature. The university provides free public access to its open and green spaces, inviting community members and visitors alike to explore the trails, gardens and natural landscapes that make TRU unique.

In addition to its academic and research facilities, TRU offers opportunities for the public to engage with its significant buildings, monuments and the TRU Art Gallery. The campus serves not only as a place of higher learning but also as a vibrant ecological and cultural landscape that fosters biodiversity, sustainability and community engagement.

TRU Facilities and Venues

Located in the heart of Kamloops, the TRU Conference Centre is a modern, full-service venue offering 12 upgraded meeting spaces and over 30,000 square feet of event space, supported by professional staff, advanced audiovisual technology and a commitment to exceptional service.

TRU Outdoor Booking Spaces

TRU also welcomes community groups and organizations to book and use outdoor campus spaces for events, gatherings and activities that align with the university’s values of learning, collaboration and sustainability.

Support of Arts and Heritage

TRU Actors Workshop Theatre

The TRU Actors Workshop Theatre showcases live stage productions directed by faculty and performed by students from the Literatures, Languages and Performing Arts Department, offering hands-on experience in acting and technical theatre.

Celebrate the power of global unity at IDays

IDays is where an extraordinary convergence of diverse perspectives takes centre stage in a special edition of this annual event.

Coyote Brings the Food

The “Coyote Brings the Food” conference, a highlight of IDays, showcased groundbreaking research by global Indigenous women, underscoring the significance of integrating Indigenous perspectives in addressing pressing global issues.

Secwépemc territorial marker in Old Main

The deep relationship between the Secwépemc people and the traditional lands on which TRU resides is commemorated on campus with a First Nations territorial marker.

Indigenous Awareness Week

Indigenous Awareness Week honours our first house Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and provides the TRU community opportunities to learn about Indigenous people, cultures, histories and stories of the local Secwépemc people and other Indigenous nations.

Free Secwépemc language classes and resources

As part of TRU's commitment to truth and reconciliation, we encourage everyone to learn the languages of the region. Several courses and resources are available.

Request a library card

TRU alumni and Kamloops community members are welcome to use many TRU Library resources.

4 Seasons of Reconciliation

TRU provides access to 4 Seasons of Reconciliation, an online course designed to build intercultural competence and advance reconciliation through education.

Secwépemc Resources library

TRU offers an open digital collection of Secwépemc resources, including stories, songs, dances and phrase books.

Sustainable practices

The Campus Strategic Sustainability Plan (CSSP)

The CSSP sets out TRU’s ambitions to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability in energy use, buildings operations, waste management, transportation, and the future development of the campus.

Sustainable commuting

TRU provides a number of resources to make your commute to campus more sustainable.

GoByBike Week

TRU encourages the campus community to choose cycling for healthier living and a more sustainable, low-carbon future.

Sustainability programs

TRU offers a wide variety of sustainability-focused programs — from a $40 bicycle purchase, campus tree planting, reusable cutlery initiatives and a sustainability pledge challenge to volunteer programs, car sharing and energy-saving campaigns — designed to engage students, faculty and staff in everyday environmental action.

Campus Master Plan

TRU’s Campus Master Plan guides decisions about campus planning and development.

TRU Design Guidelines and Requirements outline

TRU Design Guidelines and Requirements outline specific sustainability performance requirements to model best practice in the design, delivery and operation of campus projects.

Zero Carbon Homes and Buildings

The last three buildings that TRU has built — the Chappell Family Building for Nursing and Population Health (2020), the Industrial Training and Technology Centre (2018) and the Brown Family House of Learning (2011) — are all certified LEED gold buildings and have many low-carbon features.

Hybrid Work Program

The Hybrid Work Program (HWP) provides interested employees an opportunity to explore if hybrid work is a good fit for them and to request a Hybrid Work Arrangement (HWA).

Affordability efforts

Affordable housing for students

TRU is committed to providing affordable and accessible housing for students through a combination of direct housing options, financial support and affordability assessments.

TRU celebrates grand opening of newest student residence

The new residence meets the growing demand for affordable student housing while demonstrating TRU’s commitment to fostering a supportive campus community and contributing to solutions for housing shortages in British Columbia and across Canada.

Tuition and fees

Tuition at TRU is among the lowest in British Columbia or other provinces — but that’s not all. You’ll find many financial supports to ease your way on your educational journey.

TRU financial assistance

TRU offers a comprehensive range of programs to both assist students in financing their educational and living costs and to recognize academic excellence.

International student tuition

Thompson Rivers University is the first in British Columbia to offer guaranteed tuition for international students, locking in rates for your full program plus one extra year.

Films for Change: PUSH screening

TRU and Propolis Housing Cooperative hosted a screening of PUSH, a documentary exploring the global housing crisis and the right to adequate housing.

Building on brownfield sites

TRU is commitment to sustainable development and responsible land use. Planned development at 800 University Drive will take place on a designated brownfield site, demonstrating TRU’s focus on revitalizing previously used lands for future growth. See TRU’s Campus Master plan for how TRU makes decisions about campus planning and development.

Related news and articles

Research fellow program reduces carbon footprints

Graduate students and business owners are seeing benefits from a hands-on program that looks at carbon emissions and ways to reduce them.

Visiting Sri Lankan scholar collaborates on disaster resilience project

Visiting Sri Lankan scholar Dr. Fazeeha Azmi and TRU’s Dr. Bala Nikku are studying Indigenous people's disaster resilience.

TRU-UBCO team up for success with EcoHaven

Thompson Rivers University and UBC Okanagan students see successful second-place win at international building design competition.

TRU campus bird walk open to public

Avid ornithologist Dr. Tom Dickinson leads a tour at the TRU Kamloops campus that’s open to anyone interested in local birds.

SDG Accord

As an institutional signatory to the SDG Accord, TRU submits annual reports on our contributions toward the Sustainable Development Goals and shares evidence of our progress through events and actions on campus and in our community. These submissions are synthesized with others into a public progress report by the SDG Accord.