Step1: Coming up with an idea and getting support
What is sustainability?
According to the Concordia Sustainability Policy:
Sustainability at Concordia is a mindset and a process that leads to reducing our ecological footprint and enhancing social well-being while maintaining economic viability both on and off campus. This process of sustainability is developed through a governance system based on shared vision and responsibility that fulfils Concordia’s current needs without compromising the needs of future generations. To be sustainable in our decisions and activities is to take a long-term perspective, recognize resource capacities and balance the interconnected nature of our environment, society and economy.
Sustainability-related projects can use a wide variety of approaches and lenses to integrate environmental, social, and / or economic sustainability. Projects can address themes like:
Food
Waste
Energy Resources & Technology
Health & Wellbeing
Social Justice
Community
Education
…and more!
Is my project eligible?
Ensure that your project qualifies for the Sustainability Living Lab Funding Program by verifying your project against the eligibility criteria below, and get support to develop your project idea by reaching out to the Office of Sustainability.
In order to be eligible, SLLFP projects must meet the following criteria:
Project team must include representation from faculty and/or staff as well as at least 1 student*
Project must offer experiential learning opportunities to one or more students
Project must meaningfully address at least one of the 5 streams of the Sustainability Action Plan (Sustainable Food Systems; Zero Waste; Climate Action; Sustainability in Research; Sustainability in Curriculum)
*Note: Student team leaders may be recruited after the application is submitted
Projects will be judged on the following criteria:
| Alignment with Sustainability Action Plan | To what extent does the project align with and address one or more themes of the Sustainability Action Plan? To what extent does the project complement or meaningfully address gaps in the themes of the Sustainability Action Plan? |
| Cross-Disciplinary / Cross-Unit Collaboration | Is the project team made up of Concordia students, faculty, and / or staff members? Were sufficient efforts made to find collaborators and create partnerships for this project? Does this project have a cross-departmental or cross-disciplinary component? Does this project tie in with research- or curriculum-based activities? |
| Impact | How likely is the project to have a significant impact on sustainability within the university and its community? Does the long term vision for this project make a significant difference at Concordia or for Concordians? Does the project offer students the opportunity to develop useful knowledge and skills through experiential learning, either as leaders or as participants? |
| Outreach & Community Engagement | To what degree does the project engage the Concordia community and encourage their involvement and/or participation? Does the project intentionally seek a diverse audience or participant pool? |
| Feasability | How well does the project demonstrate feasibility in terms of its approaches or methodologies? How realistic is the proposed timeline for the project? Is there a clear plan for sustaining the project's impact in the long term (if applicable)? Are their budget requests clearly defined and reasonable? Has the project applied for or obtained funding from other sources? |
| Sustainability | Does the project avoid negative environmental and social impacts in its process and content? Is the project likely to result in positive environmental and/ or social benefits? Have they filled out the sustainable event checklist (if applicable)? Have they tried to implement key strategies to increase the sustainability of their event? |
| Clarity & Workflow | How clear and well-organized is the project proposal? How clear are the project objectives, roles and project measurements methodologies? Is the application form complete? |
Step 2: Drafting and feedback
Draft your application well before deadline and send it to the Office of Sustainability for support and feedback. This allows you to develop the best application possible and gain a higher chance of being approved by the Sustainability Living Lab Funding Program (SLLFP) Committee.
Aligning with the Sustainability Action Plan
The Sustainability Action Plan is made up of five stream plans, whose topics must be addressed as part of your project in order to qualify forthe SLLFP. Below is a list of relevant project categories for each of the stream plans.
This stream seeks to enable Concordia to become recognized as a leader in sourcing food that supports an environmentally and socially sustainable food system. It aims to enhance the capacity to grow and to transform food on campus, maximise related learning opportunities, and provide healthy and affordable food options in every main University building. It can include projects related to:
Sustainable or fair trade food procurement
Food scarcity/security
Urban agriculture
Other
This stream seeks to divert 90% of material waste from landfill through compost, recycling, and material reuse and reduce total material waste by 50% (per full-time equivalent). It aims to do so through programs that encourage low-waste purchasing, materials reuse and encouraging innovative new practices, events and programs. It can include projects related to:
Zero waste events (includes food and drinks)
Zero waste procurement & reuse
Zero waste labs
E-waste
Supporting local communities and economies
Other
This stream seeks to eliminate CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions from all sources controlled and operated by Concordia University, including all building energy use and transportation infrastructure. It aims to work towards achieving complete carbon neutrality across our community activities by 2040. It can include projects related to:
Buildings and energy
Transport
Investments
Greening and adaptation
Community resilience
Other
This stream seeks to support students, staff and faculty in using the campus to foster and enable innovative approaches to addressing sustainability challenges and respond to the real-world action-oriented agenda of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Applicants are encouraged to adopt an innovative, reflective research approach that centers principles of EDID (equity, diversity, inclusion & decolonization) in their research project. It can include projects related to:
Sustainability or SDG-related research
Sustainable research practices
Other
This stream seeks to enable faculty members to foster an understanding and practice of sustainability across the curriculum. It aims to immerse students in interdisciplinary settings and equip them to link their disciplinary training to broader social, environmental and economic issues, and be ready to enact change and impact society. It can include projects related to:
Development of new sustainability courses or modules / units
Development or enhancement of pedagogical approaches for nurturing sustainability competencies
Development of immersive sustainability education experiences for students
Other
Developing your project budget
Click here to download the project budget. Please fill out only the fields that are applicable for your project and submit the completed budget with your application. The table below outlines eligible expenses for your project.
- Projects/events that address environmental or social issues in both process AND content
- Tool, software and equipment if they are integral to the project
- Outreach materials and promotional avenues like posters, web hosting, zines, paid ads., etc.
- Salaries, wages and honoraria
- Event and catering expenses*
- Space booking expenses
* We encourage projects involving multi-day events, or a sizable amount of participants , to consider the Sustainable Event Guide and Certification. Please reach out to sustainable.events@concordia.ca for any questions.
- Projects/events that only address environmental or social issues in their process, but not their content and vice-versa
- Projects/events requesting retroactive funding**
- Projects/events with no or very limited student engagement and with no or limited impact on the Concordia campus
- Operational funding for established groups or organizations, and (at times) operational funding for start-ups
- Projects/events supporting or sponsored by the fossil fuel industry or other corporations whose practices conflict with the the SAF or Office of Sustainability's mandates
- Airfare
** Some exceptions may apply
Step 3: Submission
Applications for the SLLFP are reviewed once per semester by the SLLFP Committee. The semesterly application periods are as follows:
- Fall Semester is open from September 15 to October 27, 2023
- Winter Semester is open from January 15 to February 23, 2024
You will be ready to submit when you have the following:
- Completed application form [PDF or WORD DOC]
- Note that the previous application form had an error. The updated version of the form is now available. You may need to clear your browser cookies and refresh this page in order to be able to access the updated version.
CV(s) of any individual(s) paid through the project (project coordinator, designer, etc.)
Your project logo and any other graphic outreach materials
Letters of support from implicated stakeholders (max 3)
Design mock-ups or speculative representations of your project
Sustainable event checklist (if your project includes an event spanning multiple days or including a sizable amount of people)
NOTE: Any incomplete applications that are submitted run the risk of not being considered for funding. This includes but is not limited to missing information; vague, inaccurate, or confusing information; and/or incomplete budgets.
Send your completed application to SLLFP@concordia.ca by 11:59 p.m. on February 23, 2024
Contact
For questions about the Sustainability Living Lab Funding Program, contact:
SLLFP@concordia.ca
