What is the Micro-Certificate in Environmental Metrics for Sustainability Reporting?
The Micro-Certificate in Environmental Metrics for Sustainability Reporting is a flexible 12-week online professional development program that provides insight into the fundamentals of sustainability reporting with a unique emphasis on environmental metric data management and decision making.
What Will You Learn?
- Sustainability Reporting & ESG Fundamentals: Gain a strong foundation in ESG principles, reporting frameworks, carbon footprint measurement (Scope 1, 2, 3).
- Environmental Impact & Packaging: Understand the environmental effects of packaging and the role of sustainable packaging in the food industry.
- ESG Principles in Agribusiness: Obtain knowledge of ESG principles and climate risk in the agribusiness context.
- Practical Data Tools & Decision-Making: Learn to manage environmental metrics using Excel and Power BI, with real-world applications in GHG and waste reporting.
Learning Outcomes:
- ESG Foundations and Environmental Decision-Making: Explore ESG principles, reporting frameworks, and regulatory responses, with applications to climate risk, circular economy, and First Nations perspectives.
- Data, Metrics, and Tools for GHG and Food Waste: Learn to measure and manage GHG emissions and food waste using KPIs, inventories, and data tools in Excel and Power BI.
- Sector-Specific Sustainability Applications: Apply ESG strategies to real-world contexts through specialized courses in agribusiness or sustainable food packaging.
- Strategy, Risk, and Reporting Integration: Develop climate risk management strategies, conduct cost–benefit assessments, and create customized sustainability reports and dashboards.
By the end of the course, participants will be equipped with the skills to support their company’s sustainability efforts and create impactful environmental reports.
Who Should Enroll?
- Early to Mid-career Professionals
- Recent University or College Graduates
- Business Leaders
- Entrepreneurs
- Professionals in Corporate Social Responsibility and Finance
- Employees
This program qualifies for the StrongerBC future skills grant. This grant is open to British Columbians aged 19+, and covers up to $3,500 of training at public post‑secondary institutions. Read more about the overall program on the StrongerBC site .
Apply for the StrongerBC future skills grant here .
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The Micro-Certificate Courses
Course 1: ESG Fundamentals and Environmental Decisions
- ESG and Sustainability Reporting
- First Nations in ESG
- Economics and Externalities
- Transition to Net Zero
- Climate Opportunities and Risks
- ESG Frameworks, Standards, and Other Services
- Steps for ESG Reporting – Customize your Plan.
- Life Cycle Assessment and Circular Economy
- Environmental Regulatory Response and Strategy
- Environmental Metric Categories
Course 2: Data Gathering and Management for GHG Emissions and Food Waste
- GHG Emissions Units and Scope 1, 2, 3
- GHG Principles, Conversions, KPIs, and Emissions Targets
- Waste Management, Food Loss and Waste Inventory
- Food Loss and Waste Quantification, and KPIs
- Excel and/or Power BI: Designing a Data Collection and Computation Worksheet
Course 3a: ESG in Agribusiness
In this course you will learn the key environmental regulations and climate risks specific to the sector, while identifying sustainable operational practices. Additionally, they will learn to apply data tracking and KPI metrics to ensure environmental compliance.
- ESG principles and Climate Risk in the agribusiness context
- ESG strategies, regulatory and market trends in the agribusiness sector
- Measuring, analyzing, and reporting environmental metrics in agribusiness
Course 3b: Sustainable Package Decision Making for Food Service and Processing
Learners will gain insights into the principles and trends in sustainable packaging. They will also develop Excel-based and Power BI models to evaluate packaging and investment costs, enabling more sustainable decision-making.
- Environmental impacts of packaging and the importance of sustainability
- Variety of sustainable packaging materials and their applications
- Principles and practices behind sustainable packaging design
- Assess and implement sustainable packaging solutions in a business context
- Excel data models that can be used to determine “best fit” packaging using criteria of cost, sustainability, and product requirements
- Regulatory landscape and consumer demands for sustainable packaging
Course 4: Environmental Assessment, Strategy Creation, and Sustainability Reporting
- GHG Dashboard Excel and/or Power BI: Data Management – GHG and Food Loss and Waste Case
- Customizing, Automating, and Building a Sustainability Report
- Climate Risk Management: Tools to Identify and Analyze
- Climate Risk Management – Mitigation Strategies
- Risk Management –Assessing Options Using Basic Cost Benefit Analysis
How is the Micro-Certificate Structured?
Format & Requirements: Complete 3 required courses (Course 1, 2, and 4) and choose 1 elective (Course 3a or 3b). Each course runs for 3 weeks and includes lectures, case studies, demos, assignments, and live sessions. Upon completion, you’ll earn a Micro-Certificate in Sustainability Reporting and Environmental Metrics.
Time commitment: Approximately 4 hours per week, at your own pace.
Cost: $2500 for the full certificate (4 courses) or $900 per course. Note: Course 1 is a prerequisite if taking individual courses.
Who is offering the Micro-Certificate?
The UBC Master of Food and Resource Economics program (MFRE), a one-year graduate program focused on economic solutions for climate, food, and environmental challenges, offers the micro-certificate each Spring and Fall. The UBC-MFRE Faculty involved in the micro-certificate include:
- Sumeet Gulati, PhD, Professor, Food & Resource Economics (FRE) and Faculty Associate with Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES).
- Carol McAusland, PhD, Professor, Food & Resource Economics (FRE).
- James Vercammen, PhD, Professor, Sauder School of Business and Food & Resource Economics (FRE).
- Kelleen L. Wiseman, MBA, PhD, Academic Director, Master of Food and Resource Economics.
- Karen Taylor, PhD, Lecturer, Food and Resource Economics
This program qualifies for the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant. The StrongerBC Future Skills Grant offers up to $3,500 to support eligible short-term skills training at public post-secondary institutions in British Columbia. Open to most B.C. residents aged 19 or older, the grant is available regardless of financial need. Registration for the 2025/2026 programs will open on a per-program basis. For the latest updates and to check your eligibility, visit the WorkBC StrongerBC Future Skills Grant webpage.
The Future Skill Grant (FSG) has the limited numbers of seats allocated to the Micro-Certificate in Environmental Metrics for Sustainability Reporting, if we reach to the maximum number of the seats, you will be emailed and placed on the waitlist.
If you are planning to use the Future Skill Grant (FSG), you will need to do the following:
- Check your eligibility for FSG at WorkBC.
- Login to Future Skills Grant portal using your BC Services Card, this will allow you to determine your eligibility and claim your funds [Further instructions are on the site].
- Fill out your application and choose the Micro-Certificate in Environmental Metrics for Sustainability Reporting. Be sure to check the boxes as shown here when you are applying through the FSG portal.
- Be sure that the information in your profile on the future skills grant management system (FSGMS) (Legal Name, SIN, Date of Birth, Address & Email) is correct. Please update any incorrect information.
Once we receive your information, we will enroll you in the Micro-Certificate in Environmental Metrics for Sustainability Reporting and send you next steps to view course content.
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Stay up to date with news regarding our micro-certificate. Fill in the form, and we will contact you when registration opens.
Current UBC students and Masters of Food and Resource Economics (MFRE) alumni can register through an internal channel. Please email mfre.learn@ubc.ca to learn more.
Master of Food and Resource Economics | Faculty of Land and Food Systems
The University of British Columbia | Vancouver Campus