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Sustainability at Concordia
December 2024 Newsletter
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As another semester and an unseasonably warm autumn wrap up, we begin looking to another year for opportunities to commit ourselves further to social, environmental, and economic sustainability. Maybe this looks like buying less or eliminating plastic where we can. Maybe it looks taking action at the community-level and joining an organization. But if you don't know where to start, the Office of Sustainability is always available to you as a resource. And for those looking for a little more guidance, we are offering a 6-week program for Concordia students seeking clarity, courage, and community on their climate journeys, in January.
See you in 2025.
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Concordia’s energy efficiency efforts receive top honours from BOMA Quebec
Concordia’s energy management efforts continue to make waves!
Two years after the international BOMA Québec’s Building Energy Challenge recognized eight of the university’s buildings for reducing greenhouse gases, the province’s largest association of commercial property owners and managers named Concordia among the winners of its Building Energy Challenge (BEC 2.0).
Launched in 2018 and renewed four years later, BEC 2.0 is a competition aimed at reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in commercial, institutional and multi-residential buildings across Quebec.
This year’s awards highlighted organizations that achieved impressive results in energy efficiency throughout 2023. Concordia’s Grey Nuns (GN) Building won the Immeubles résidentiels à logement de plus de 20 000 m2 category.
Read the story >
- SDG 7 Affordable and clean energy
- SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities
- SDG 12 Responsable consumption and production
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The Arctic is the only ocean that has not seen a drop in legacy persistent organic pollutants decades after global regulations, says new Concordia study
The presence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in all the world’s oceans but one has been in steady decline since 2001, when 152 countries agreed on a comprehensive global ban. The exception has been the Arctic Ocean, which has seen a sharp rise in POPs in its frigid waters over the past several decades.
In a paper published in the journal Science Advances, Concordia assistant professor Xianming Zhang reported a study with an international team of researchers on the effectiveness of global regulatory efforts and legislative measures on POPs in the planetary marine environments. This study highlighted the success of source control measures demonstrated by a general decreasing trend in POP concentrations across various maritime regions. However, the Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas have experienced a rise in POP levels. Their presence poses potential dangers to animals and people as they enter the fragile ecosystem’s food web.
Read the story >
- SDG 12 Responsible consumption and production
- SDG 13 Climate action
- SDG 14 Life below water
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Get involved
Climate Wayfinding
Many people are looking at the climate crisis with distress and grappling with the question “what can I do?”
Climate Wayfinding is a deep learning program for Concordia students seeking clarity, courage, and community on their climate journeys. Provided in the winter semester, this 6-week program will use individual and group exploration to help participants identify their unique contributions and develop key capacities for climate engagement.
From January 15th – February 19th, we will meet every Wednesday from 4:15pm-6:30pm at CUSP, 1175 Saint Matthieu Street, GN LR 03. We will be happy to provide childcare to those who need it, with advance notice.
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Christmas Bird Count
Started in 1900, the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is North America’s longest-running Citizen Science project. People in more than 2000 locations throughout the Western Hemisphere participate in the CBC each year. On Saturday, December 14th, 2024, Concordians are invited to join the Office of Sustainability as we monitor our bird feeders, which will be incorporated into the overall count numbers for the day within the Montreal count circle.
Downtown count: 11-12 p.m. @ Grey Nuns garden 1200 Guy St.
Loyola count: 1-2 p.m. @ Solar House 7141 Sherbrooke W.
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The Concordia University Centre for Creative Reuse (CUCCR) is looking for volunteers!
Change the culture of reuse by encouraging people everywhere to do more with what they already have. Help us keep usable items out of the landfill and give it away for free! The last chance to volunteer is on December 12.
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Eco-Anxiety Peer Support Group
Tuesday, December 3 @ 7 – 8:30 p.m., Le Frigo Vert, 1440 Rue Mackay
If you've ever felt anxious, sad, or overwhelmed about the impacts of climate change and the size of the challenges we face, you are not alone. We invite you to attend our Eco-Anxiety Peer Support Group — a place where our community can come together and grieve, share experiences, and navigate pathways forward that make space for hope.
Screening of Holding Back the Tide
Monday, December 9 @ 7 p.m., Hall Auditorium H110, 1455 Blvd. De Maisonneuve W.
Join us for the Montreal Premiere of this documentary with Director Emily Packer and Trey Tetreault in attendance! This quirky, playful film combines climate change, sustainability, oysters, New York, and trans rights into one zany, joyful work.
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Opportunities
Parcours Agir Ensemble pour l’Équité, la Diversité et l’Inclusion (EDI)
Le parcours Agir ensemble pour l’ÉDI se compose d’un ensemble de formations gratuites en lien avec l’équité, la diversité et l’inclusion (EDI) en milieu professionnel. Il offre une opportunité unique de collaborer avec des entreprises québécoises afin de développer des solutions innovantes favorisant l’inclusion et la diversité. Une expérience humaine et enrichissante pour toute personne qui souhaite agir activement pour l’EDI!
Deadline to apply: December 8th, 2024 at 11:59 PM.
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Indigenous Internship Program is recruiting 3 positions for winter 2025!
The Office of Community Engagement (OCE) facilitates paid internship opportunities for First Nations, Metis and Inuit students to contribute to the work of Indigenous-led and -serving organizations in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. Apply now to join the program!
Deadline to apply is December 8th, 2024
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Submit to the Roots & Recipes Sustainable Cookbook
As part of a Student Sustainability Ambassador Project, we're cooking up something special—a campus cookbook made by YOU!
- Share your go-to recipes—anything from desserts to drinks! Whether it’s your family’s secret recipe or something cool you found online; we want it!
- Submit your recipe via our Google form, and you’ll be entered to win $30 toward a sustainable meal of your choice!
- Let’s make sustainable and diverse cooking accessible for the Concordia community!
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Giving: Looking to give back to the community on Giving Tuesday? Consider making a general donation to Concordia's sustainability initiatives. From strengthening our Centre for Creative Reuse and our award-winning ambassadors program, to representing Concordia sustainability on the world stage, and helping new, emerging initiatives, your donation will be used where support is most needed.
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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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