Earth Day

April 22, 2026

What is Earth Day?

Earth Day is an annual celebration that honours the achievements of the environmental movement and raises awareness of the need to protect our natural resources for future generations. The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970 and continues to be celebrated on this date every year. To learn more about this movement and how you can become a take part, of it visit the Earth Day Canada website.

Check out our Earth Day event archive

Earth Day 2026 at Concordia

2026 Sustainability Champions

The Sustainability Champion Awards recognize and encourage students, faculty and staff who are making contributions towards the social, ecological and economic well-being of the university.

Julie Kriter, Joshua Augusto, Ryan Assaker and Jonah Doniewski (Students for CUCCR)

Julie Kriter, Joshua Augusto, Ryan Assaker, and Jonah Doniewski are Concordia University students advancing sustainability through creative reuse. As founding organizers of Students for CUCCR, they led a successful campaign of securing institutional funding, establishing CUCCR as a permanent campus resource. Julie and Joshua now support daily operations, delivering workshops, outreach, and programming that divert waste and engage hundreds of students each year. Jonah promotes sustainability in Fine Arts student governance, while Ryan strengthens student financial frameworks as the CSU Finances Coordinator. Together, their work connects advocacy, operations, and community-building to create lasting environmental impact on campus and beyond.

Kewal Doshi

Kewal Doshi is an advocate for sustainable business, combining institutional change with community engagement. Passionate about connecting industry leaders with emerging change-makers, he leads initiatives that integrate sustainability into business culture at Concordia and beyond. As President of the John Molson Sustainable Enterprise Committee (JSEC), he expanded the Youth Summit on Sustainable Business into Canada’s largest youth sustainability conference, doubled the mentorship program and launched a Sustainable Event Certification grant supporting student groups adopting green practices. His work bridges policy, community and action to foster a lasting culture of sustainable business at JMSB and in the Montreal community.

Zariah Williams

Zariah Williams is a sustainability advocate who blends environmental action with a strong commitment to diversity and social equity. Passionate about community-building and cultural identity, she leads creative, collaborative projects that inspire change. As VP External of the Sustainability and Diversity Students Association, she has spent over two years connecting students through workshops, partnerships and events. She co-created Roots and Recipes, a cookbook promoting local sourcing, healthy eating and cultural identity, now in its second volume. Through work with District 3 and Beat the Odds, along with multiple leadership roles, Zariah brings people together to advance social and environmental sustainability.

Dominique Dumont and Rocio Carvajo Lucena

Dominique Dumont and Rocío Carvajo Lucena are advocates for sustainable campus development, combining long-term planning with a commitment to greener, more inclusive spaces. As co-leads of Concordia’s Campus Master Plan, they developed a roadmap guiding campus growth over the next 10–15 years. Their work integrates sustainability into all aspects of planning, including green spaces, biodiversity, mobility and climate-resilient infrastructure. The result is a living framework that will shape how Concordia builds, connects and evolves, transforming the campus into a model for environmental action, community wellbeing and lasting positive change.

Joé Côté-Rancourt and Josh Jensen

Joé Côté-Rancourt and Josh Jensen are advocates for sustainable exhibition-making, combining curatorial practice with material research. As Co-Curators of Sustainability at the FOFA Gallery in Montreal, they replaced single-use PVC signage with bio-based materials, natural dyes and reusable systems. They co-lead Exploring Sustainability Across the Arts (ESA) and created an open-access Sustainable Signage Toolkit for cultural sector. Through workshops, student training and cross-disciplinary collaborations, they promote low-waste, circular approaches to artmaking. Alongside their artistic practices, their work shows that sustainable exhibition design can be innovative, accessible and impactful.

Nico Schutte

Nico is an advocate for ecological sustainability, combining scientific knowledge with a hands-on, community-centered approach to food systems and land stewardship. Passionate about mycology, soil health, foraging and regenerative agriculture, they make complex ecological concepts accessible and actionable. As a founding member of the cooperative CultivAction, Nico helped build a campus farming and food distribution network, taught courses on foraging and mushroom cultivation, ran a microgreens program and advanced regenerative soil practices. Beyond campus, they founded Nico’s Novelties, a wildcrafting business producing sustainable, handcrafted goods. Nico leads by example, making sustainability practical and shared.

Learn about sustainability initiatives that support Earth Day

At Concordia, every day is considered Earth Day. Here are some of the initiatives, programs and projects that run 365 days a year to keep this important movement growing.