What is the Micro-Certificate in Environmental Metrics for Sustainability Reporting?
The Micro-Certificate in Environmental Metrics for Sustainability Reporting is a flexible 15-week online professional development program designed for professionals and new graduates who want practical, applied skills in ESG, environmental measurement, data management, and strategy-driven sustainability reporting, with the ability to tailor learning through specialized sector-specific course options. New Session begins Feb 17, 2026. See dates below for all courses. Question? Email mfre.learn@ubc.ca
What Will You Learn?
- Sustainability Reporting & ESG Fundamentals: Gain a strong foundation in ESG principles, reporting frameworks, and carbon footprint measurement (Scope 1, 2, and 3).
- Specialized Sustainability Topics Across Business and Food Systems: Explore sector and topic specific areas in depth including ESG in agribusiness, sustainable packaging, biodiversity impacts, and food loss and waste depending on your selected specialization.
- ESG Principles in Agribusiness: Obtain knowledge of ESG principles and climate risk in the agribusiness context.
- Applied Risk, Impact, and Strategy Development: Learn how organizations assess environmental impacts and risks and translate them into practical strategies and actions relevant to your chosen specialization.
- Practical Data Tools & Decision-Making: Learn to manage environmental metrics using Excel and Power BI, with real-world applications in GHG and waste reporting.
By the end of the micro-certificate, 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 .
Ready to make a significant impact in sustainability?
Don’t miss out on this opportunity.
Fill in the form, and we will contact you when registration opens.
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How is the Micro-Certificate Structured?
Format & Requirements:
Complete 5 courses and earn a Micro-Certificate in Sustainability Reporting and Environmental Metrics. Each course runs for three weeks and includes online lectures, case studies, assignments, and live sessions.
The 5 courses include:
- 3 required courses (Courses 1, 2, and 4)
- PLUS
- choose 2 electives (Courses 3a, 3b, 3c, or 3d). Upon completion, you’ll
Time commitment: Approximately 4 hours per week, at your own pace.
Cost:
- $2,500 for the full micro-certificate (5 courses including 3 required courses and 2 electives courses of your choice)
- or
- $900 per course. It is recommended that you take Course 1 before taking individual courses.
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
- GHG Emissions Units and Scope 1, 2, 3
- GHG Principles, Conversions, KPIs, and Emissions Targets
- Excel and/or Power BI: Designing a GHG 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 3c: Impact of Business on Biodiversity
This course will provide a review of how business activities affect biodiversity, focusing on both negative impacts and opportunities for positive contributions. Learners will gain practical insights into the trade-offs of implementing sustainable business practices that promote biodiversity while maintaining profitability.
- Describe biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
- Identify the economic activities and businesses operations that create biodiversity loss
- Apply frameworks and environmental metrics for measuring businesses impacts on biodiversity
- Identify major international and national approaches and agreements regarding nature, biodiversity and business impact
- Identify opportunities for sustainable practices
Course 3d: Sustainable Waste Management: Food Waste, Loss, and Diversion
This course begins with the foundations of waste management in the food service and processing sector, introducing key definitions, the waste hierarchy, and measurement methods. It then focuses on two critical areas: food waste and loss, where participants learn to quantify, benchmark, and report impacts, and food diversion and donation, where they assess strategies, metrics, and sustainability and economic value.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Define and differentiate waste versus sustainable waste in the food service and processing sector.
- Explain the waste management hierarchy and apply it to sector-specific practices.
- Identify and use metrics to monitor and assess different types of waste streams.
- Quantify and benchmark food loss and waste using inventories, KPIs, and data management tools.
- Evaluate food diversion and donation strategies, considering trade-offs, metrics, and sustainability value.
- Integrate food waste – loss reduction and food diversion- donation metrics into sustainability planning and ESG reporting.
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
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, MBA, 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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Keep Up-to-Date:
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