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Sustainability at Concordia
July 2024 Newsletter
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As we are becoming increasingly aware that we need to stay safe during the summer heat waves, it's also important to understand why we are experiencing this heat in the first place.
The urban heat island effect is when an urban area becomes way hotter than its surrounding rural communities because heat is trapped inside the city. This can be caused by air pollution, more buildings, concrete, urban canyons, bad airflow, and a lack of shade from decreased green spaces. This reduces air and water quality, places financial stress on individuals to combat the overwhelming heat, causes illness and sometimes death, as well as damages public infrastructure and the natural environment.
What can we do beyond just keeping ourselves cool?
- Fostering community resilience and social connectedness as a responce to climate change. Get to know your neighbours!
- Protecting wild spaces as public parks, such as the work of Resister et Fleurir.
- Collective gardening, sharing balcony gardening tips, or planting seeds in landscaped grassy areas.
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THE Impact Rankings recognizes Concordia as one of the world’s 80 best in the three Sustainable Development Goals categories
Ensuring our planet’s sustainability — not only by reversing climate change but also countering poverty and hunger, championing gender equality, promoting economic growth and more — remains priority number one.
The United Nations developed its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 with that in mind, to provide “a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.”
Ranking agencies have consistently recognized Concordia’s research, policies, practices and other efforts that focus on sustainability and advancing the SDGs. And once again the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, in its newly released edition, has acknowledged that commitment.
Read the story >
- SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
- SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 13 Climate Action
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Concordia PhD student tackles waste management's complex challenges
Every week, we dutifully bring our recycling materials to the curb, hoping to reduce our environmental footprint by ensuring our waste is transformed and reused. However, the reality is more complex. Globally and locally, the recycling industry faces several interconnected challenges, including inadequate waste tracking and contamination.
Faisal Shennib, a doctoral researcher in the Individualized (INDI) program in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, is at the forefront of addressing these challenges. Under the supervision of Ursula Eicker, Ketra Schmitt and Caroline Roux, Shennib is researching how advances in data mining, big data, remote sensor technology and machine learning algorithms can enhance waste management and circular economy activities at local scales.
Read the story >
- SDG 9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure
- SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities
- SDG 12 Responsible consumption and production
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Algae offer real potential as a renewable electricity source, new Concordia research shows
The need to transition away from fossil fuels to more sustainable energy production is critical. That’s why a team of Concordia researchers is looking at a potential power source that not only produces no carbon emissions but removes carbon as it works: algae.
Researchers at the Optical-Bio Microsystems Lab recently published a new paper on this topic in the journal Energies. In it, they describe their method of extracting energy from the photosynthesis process of algae suspended in a specialized solution and housed in small power cells. Configured correctly, these cells can generate enough energy to power low- and ultra-low power devices such as Internet of Things (IoT) sensors.
“The idea of the micro photosynthetic power cell is to extract electrons produced through the process of photosynthesis,” says Kirankumar Kuruvinashetti, PhD 20, now a Mitacs postdoctoral associate at the University of Calgary.
Read the story >
- SDG 7 Affordable and clean energy
- SDG 12 Responsible consumption and production
- SDG 14 Life below water
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Get involved
Find Urban Nature with F.U.N. Montreal
Ongoing throughout the summer
Finding Urban Nature (F.U.N.) will once again be providing hands-on outdoor science education to city day camps, run public participative science events such as Bat & Firefly Walks, as well as conduct green space research in NDG. If you would like to contribute to FUN this summer, the team is actively seeking volunteers to help with day camp activities on Wednesdays, and research throughout the summer. An opportunity for anyone who loves science, working with kids, nature, or all of the the above!
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Volunteer for our campus gardens
All summer long
Discover the student-led initiatives on our campuses that connect the community to experiential learning, food security, and sustainable food options. This summer, join our plethora of gardens at our Loyola Campus, from mind.heart.mouth, Hamidou Horticulture, and Cultivaction, to support urban agriculture and gain new skills.
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Participate in E-Waste Upcycling
Wednesdays, 4 - 7 p.m.
Concordia Re-Tech aims to divert electronics waste from landfills by giving a second chance to discarded devices. Volunteers will grow their skills in repairing all kinds of electronic devices. They will also become familiar with various mechanical and electrical mechanisms encountered in daily life.
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Support the community bike shop
All summer long
Come volunteer at the community bike shop at Loyola Campus! We're open all year round. No bike mechanics experience required!
During shifts, volunteers can assist with:
- Dismantling and building up bikes for resale
- Developing storage and organization solutions
- Assisting shop visitors with bike repairs
- Managing the Point-of-Sales system and assisting with social media
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Bat & Firefly Walk
Thursday, July 4 @ 9:15 p.m., Belvedere Terry Fox
Finding Urban Nature (F.U.N) and UrbaNature are bat-ck for the summer with Bat and Firefly Walks every Thursday night.
Climate Emergency Committee General Meeting
Tuesday, July 23 @ 2 -3 p.m., Hall Building H-1269-3 or virtual
The Climate Emergency Committee is a group of undergraduate and graduate students as well as professors from Concordia University that have come together to take action against the global emergency that is climate change. The CEC isalways happily accepting new members—come check out their initiatives and campaigns!
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Opportunities
Get your fresh, local products at the Concordia Farmers Market
Weekly, Tuesdays, 3-5pm, ending August 27th
Concordia Farmers Market - near the Loyola Chapel, 7141 Sherbrooke
Established in 2014, the Concordia Farmers’ Market is the main provider of fresh local, direct-to-market products for the 40 000+ daily eaters on campus. Come visit us next market day and sample what’s on offer by the many incredible growers and makers in the Concordia community!
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Deliver food baskets by bike
Cyclistes Solidaires is a volunteer run community organization that is currently looking for volunteer bicycle delivery persons is to collect food baskets (boxes) from community organizations and deliver them by bicycle to the homes of people in need. The volunteer cyclist can commit to regular deliveries, or just a few, depending on their availability. Delivery dates and times vary by neighbourhood. Deliveries take between 30 to 90 minutes and are usually done in teams of two. Get active, ride your bike and join us in helping feed our communities!
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Greenwash: A never-before-seen analysis from the international research group Climate Action Tracker has revealed that while Canada's domestic emissions have (marginally) gone down, the country's emissions from exported oil and gas have more than tripled since the 1990s. These emissions have gone uncounted—until now.
Gardens: The Climate Emergency Committee is looking for repsonses to their survey on urban gardens. If you’re apart of the Concordia—or greater Montreal—community, share as many (or as few) words, feelings, experiences, and/or connections you have (or would like to have) with urban gardens!
Guide: Climate journalist Emily Atkin lays out a helpful guide to electric car misinformation in her newsletter, Heated. When it comes to the environment, there really is no such thing as a “good” car, but this guide is a useful tool to navigate the financially-motivated EV misinformation we are seeing today.
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Office of Sustainability
Concordia University | FB-801
1250 Guy St.
Montreal, Quebec
H3H 2T4
Send us an email
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