Sustainability at Concordia

May 2024 Newsletter

We recently celebrated this year's Sustainability Champions at the Concordia Engagement Awards Gala. 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.

The Concordia Engagement Awards collaborated with Le Frigo Vert and have purchased food baskets in the name of each award recipients to be given to students in need. The recipients of the Engagement Awards were honored with exquisite awards crafted by the Concordia University Centre for Creative Reuse and CP3. These remarkable awards were skillfully fashioned from recycled plastic and intricately engraved wood, embodying our dedication to sustainability and creativity

The eight recipients were selected on the basis of their hard work and dedication to advance sustainability as well as their enthusiasm and ability to inspire change.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Concordia is one of Canada's Greenest Employers

Concordia’s campus-wide approach to sustainability and ambitious carbon reduction efforts have led to it being named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers 2024. The award is presented by Mediacorp Canada Inc., organizer of Canada's Top 100 Employers.

“It’s an honour to be selected as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers,” says Michael Di Grappa, vice-president of services and sustainability. “As an institution dedicated to embedding sustainability into everything we do, we’ve set bold targets on all fronts, and this award speaks to the significant strides we’re making.”

Read the story >

SDG 3 Good health and well-being
SDG 9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure
SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities

This Concordia PhD student is turning Montreal balconies into biodiversity hotspots

How can we better harness the green potential of urban spaces? For Concordia PhD student Nicole Yu, the answer came in the form of the Balcony Garden Project. It’s a participatory science initiative that invites residents across select Montreal boroughs to transform their balconies into vibrant habitats for monarch butterflies and other pollinators.

Yu is based in the Department of Biology and is working with the Ziter Urban Landscape Ecology Lab in a bid to merge urban living with biodiversity conservation.

Read the story >

SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities
SDG 13 Climate action
SDG 15 Life on land

Concordia PhD student wins a Prix Relève étoile for his study on microplastic pollution in cold climates

Plastic waste, particularly in the form of tiny particles called microplastic, has become ubiquitous in the Earth’s environment, including the remote Arctic. Yet, the factors influencing how these tiny particles are trapped in ice remain poorly understood.

Now, award-winning research from Concordia PhD candidate Zhikun Chen has shed some light on the matter [...] Chen’s research explores how plastic properties and environmental factors, such as water salinity and turbulence, affect the transport and behaviour of microplastics in cold regions.

Read the story >

SDG 4 Quality education
SDG 14 Life below water
SDG 15 Life on land

Get involved

Volunteer for the Residence Reclaimathon

Sorting in Grey Nuns, in room E-104 Mon, May 6, 2024 - 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM & Wed, May 8, 2024 - 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Sorting at Loyola, meeting in the HA Lobby Tue May 7 2024 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM & 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM

As students get ready to move out of the Residence room, they may not be able to take everything with them. But that doesn't mean all those items should go to waste! The Concordia University Centre for Creative Reuse (CUCCR) and the Sustainability Volunteer Program work with Residence to give your pre-loved items new life. Each year we rescue about 2-3 tonnes of waste from ending up in the landfill by finding materials a second home. Help us properly sort and bag materials to be donated, and take away anything that interests you

Volunteer

Take part in our Urban Biodiversity Scavenger Hunt

April 22 (Earth Day) - May 22 (International Day for Biological Diversity)

Every Spring, we challenge our community to join our iNaturalist group and submit their photos of the species on the list for a chance to win prizes! In this activity, we encourage our community to seek out the different species of plants, mammals, birds, and insects that can be found in Montreal at this time of year.

Learn more

UPCOMING EVENTS

From Palette to Plate: A Creative Vegetarian Cooking and Art-Making Event

Wednesday, May 1 @ 7 - 9 p.m., Le Frigo Vert 1440 Mackay

A unique experience that celebrates the importance of food in our daily lives: together, we will cook a delicious vegetarian meal using fresh and locally-sourced ingredients.Then we will channel our creative energy into making art together. Whether you are an experienced artist or simply enjoy being creative, this is a great opportunity to connect with others and explore new ways of expressing yourself.

Sustainability sparks: Faculty resources for infusing sustainability in the curriculum

Friday, May 3 @ 11 a.m. - 12 p.m., virtual

Explore innovative teaching methods for sustainability across disciplines. Discover the Sustainability Co-Design Project, a collaborative effort where students and educators partner to integrate sustainability into courses. Learn from past teams, get inspired, and participate in a dynamic Q&A session for interdisciplinary insights. Embrace a sustainability lens in your teaching!

The Climate Change-Makers Challenge

Friday, May 10 - Sunday, May 12

Join youth from across the world in this three-day challenge to create solutions for our climate crisis! No coding experience needed! Solutions don't have to be app or website-based! Our challenge: Can you create that next big solution to our climate change dilemma?

Symposium: Periods on Campus

Friday, May 17 @ 12 - 4 p.m., Concordia Conference Centre, 9th Floor, 1450 Guy St.

This one-day symposium will bring researchers, student advocates and diverse voices together in a higher educational setting, to discuss the importance of menstrual equity and the positive impact it can have when considering and considering sustainable approaches. We hope to enhance the quality of student life by moving meaningfully towards a culture of menstrual dignity on campus.

Interfaith Eco-Action Day

Monday, May 20 @ 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., Westbury Avenue & Avenue Saint-Kevin

In its 12th year, the Annual Interfaith Eco-Action day brings together faith communities and individuals from across Montreal to clean up a local park, meet friends old and new across traditions and join together to make a difference for the local community.

Rematriation and Kahnistensera's Stewardship of the Land

Wednesday, May 22 @ 2:30 - 5:30 p.m., 4th Space, 1400 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W. (or virtual)

Please join us for a talk with the Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers) and Nancy Tapias Torrado (Colombian human rights lawyer, international consultant, and doctoral candidate in the Sociology Department at the University of Oxford). Topics include rematriation and insights on the Kahnistensera's role as stewards and caretakers of the land.

Peter and the Wolf: A Symphonic Radio Play

Friday, May 31 - Sunday, June 16 (limited online release)

Prokofiev's classic reimagined, our young adventurer encounters nature not as a threat to be conquered, but a gift to be defended. Eighty-five years on, Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf still stands among the most revered classical compositions. Sharing the magic of music with the young and the young at heart, it has always been presented in more or less the same way. Until now. Peter and the Wolf: A Symphonic Radio Play is a full orchestration of the original piece, and an enhanced re-telling of the story.

More events

Opportunities

CEED's Media and Environment Summer Internship

Internship Dates: -Onboarding: May 20th - July 4th

Internship: July 4th - August 6th

Deadline to apply: May 5th @11:59PM

Ready for an unforgettable summer internship experience? Apply now to join us in Gulu, Uganda for CEED’s Summer Media & Environment Project! Now accepting applications for 5 fully-funded internship positions exclusively for Concordia students!

Apply

Concordia BIXI Discount

Until May 31, Concordians 10% on seasonal BIXI memberships. The discount allows you to purchase a seasonal BIXI pass for $96, rather than the regular $107 membership fee. The seasonal pass covers the period between April 15 and November 15.

Learn more

Volunteer for the Concordia gardens

Discover the 10+ student-led initiatives on our campuses that connect the community to experiential learning, food security, sustainable food options and volunteer opportunities.

Volunteer

EXTRAS

Survey: As part of the efforts to continuously improve Concordia’s sustainability curriculum, a survey was developed to map the university’s sustainability offerings. The survey provides valuable insights into the infusion of sustainability in Concordia’s curriculum, including content on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and innovative teaching approaches.

Report: The Montreal Indigenous Community Network has just released its new report, From Our Eyes to Yours: A Closer Look at the Realities of Indigenous Peoples Experiencing Homelessness in Montreal. The report gives a total of 41 recommendations in the areas of funding, Indigenous governance, culturally-appropriate support, housing and more. The report makes clear that addressing homelessness experienced in Indigenous communities means ending colonial practices, supporting Indigenous self-determination, revitalizing Indigenous languages and cultures, and enabling the acquisition of life skills as well as the access to emotional, spiritual and mental support.

Repurpose: Still hanging on to your eclipse glasses? The Centre for Creative Reuse (CUCCR) will be a drop-off point at Concordia for eclipse glasses (GN G-R01/G-R02, 1200 Guy St.) until the end of May. We will, however, be collecting until the end of the summer, so if you plan to drop off your glasses after May, please bring them to the Office of Sustainability in Faubourg Tower instead. The eclipse glasses will be sent to schools in Latin America so that children will be able to view the October 2024 annular eclipse.

Supportive of the work we do? Consider giving to our Sustainability Development Fund.