The Department of Budget Planning and Control is all about possibilities, and in the past year, executive director Sabrina Lavoie and her team have made a number of things possible.
Sustainability on campus
Building on Concordia’s increasing focus on sustainability, Concordia was certified as a Fair Trade campus under the direction of Lavoie and her team - the designation is recognized by Fairtrade Canada, the Canadian Fair Trade Network and l’Association Québécoise du Commerce Equitable.
“We're really starting to be a major player in terms of our sustainability practices,” Lavoie explains.
While sustainability as a concept can be applied to a wide variety of factors campus-wide, Lavoie and her team oversee food services, which gives them room to make sustainable changes to the way the University deals with food.
For example, Concordia’s non-franchise and student-run cafés carry 100% fair-trade coffee, at least three fair-trade teas, and at least one form of fair-trade chocolate. Additionally, all bananas available on campus are 100% fair trade, supplied by Montreal fair-trade importer Equifruit.
“We have a sustainable food coordinator who bridges Aramark, our contracted food service provider, and Concordia’s Food Services to ensure that all sustainable contractual requirements are met and local food procurement objectives achieved,” says Lavoie.
Fair Trade doesn’t cost the University anything, notes Lavoie. It’s simply a matter of requesting that suppliers make the appropriate goods available.
This move has been closely tied to the university’s goals regarding local food procurement, which Lavoie underscores is not about buying more expensive food but rather of buying food more carefully.
“When choosing to buy tomatoes from a local or an international source, even if they’re the same price, the footprint is lower due to shorter transportation,” she says.
Book Stop success
The university’s Fair Trade drive has now extended to fair labour, as Book Stop and Book Stop Boutique employees became members of the Fair Labour Association. The boutique, which opened in the LB tunnel last October, offers apparel, memorabilia, and gifts.
The store’s online portal, implemented last year, recorded a steady uptick in web sales — an approach eased by the offer of free shipping and an easy to use click-and-collect system. The fourth edition of the Win Your Purchase contest was also successful, receiving 40,000 entries. The contest paid for the back-to-school purchases of five students from five different programs, averaging $350 per student.
“The success of the book store is cyclical,” explains Lavoie. “We do annual Win Your Purchases and Staff Appreciation events that are popular across the board.”
There’s no bottom line in popularity, but Lavoie and her team understand that there’s more to budget then getting the figures to add up. Making possible what staff and students want and need is their ultimate goal, and they’re happy to continue achieving it.
