Sustainability at Concordia

April 2025 Newsletter

Happy Earth Month! We have an incredible line-up for you this April:

Make friends with the Earth by taking courses and workshops in urban agriculture, food waste, or bike tune-ups.
Sign up as a sustainability volunteer or signal your interest in joining the Sustainability Ambassadors Program.
Find out what is happening at Concordia around land-based learning, biodiversity, or AI and the circular economy and how you can get involved.
Don't miss the opportunity to take advantage of a sustainability career event, free balcony plants, a film premiere, a relaxing tea tasting session, job openings with mind.heart.mouth and with the Office of Community Engagement, BIXI discounts, and more in this edition!

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Tree rings from Gaspésie mountains reveal effects of global warming dating back almost a century

A study of tree rings in the Gaspésie’s Sainte-Anne River area reveals that snowpacks have been declining noticeably in the region’s mountains for nearly nine decades. The researchers say the phenomenon is directly linked to global warming.

They add that the decline in snowpack in the Parc national de la Gaspésie’s mountains, which form the northern end of the Appalachian Mountain Range, has significant implications for water management and regional wildlife.

Read the story >

SDG 7 Affordable and clean energy
SDG 13 Climate Action
SDG 17 Partnerships for the goals

Concordia’s Centre for Creative Reuse Fine Arts Satellite

Concordia’s Centre for Creative Reuse (CUCCR) has launched the Fine Arts CUCCR Satellite, a new initiative developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Fine Arts. The pilot project expands the centre’s mission to divert materials from Concordia's waste stream and offer them for free to the community.

The Satellite is located in the Assembly Room (EV8.455), an open workspace on the 8^th floor of the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex (EV Building). The room is also equipped with basic tools and space for temporary project storage.

Read the story >

SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities
SDG 12 Responsible consumption and production
SDG 16 Peace, justice and strong institutions

Wild bees thrive among diverse flower communities, Concordia study shows

Spring is approaching — really! — and with it come the perennial considerations about which kinds of flowers to plant and where. These questions go far beyond mere aesthetics: flowers are an essential source of food for birds and insects, including the dozens upon dozens of species of wild bees found in most cities. For them, what’s on the menu is a matter of life or death.

The relationship between flower species and pollinator populations matters deeply to urban biodiversity. In a study published in the journal Ecological Applications, Concordia researchers look at how certain floral characteristics interplay with urban bee populations.

Read the story >

SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities
SDG 15 Life on land
SDG 17 Partnerships for the goals

GET INVOLVED

Join the 2025-26 Student Sustainability Ambassadors Program

Although the spring round of applications has passed, it's not too late to become a 2025-26 Student Sustainability Ambassador and work with a cohort of your peers to become informed, confident sustainability leaders on campus!

Fill out the form to signal your interest in hearing from us when the summer round of applications opens up in August.

Learn more about the program

Get an email when it's time to apply

Take courses in urban agriculture with CultivAction Solidarity Cooperative

Get your hands dirty-- urban agriculture courses are open for enrollment! Whether you're looking to grow your skills in urban agriculture, explore herbalism, or embark on an urban foraging adventure, we’ve got a feast of learning opportunities for you! From in-depth certificate courses to bite-sized online classes, our programs offer hands-on experiences that connect you to food, community, and sustainability. Join us this season—dig into the soil, learn alongside fellow growers, and even take home fresh food! Plus, Concordia students get a special subsidized rate, making it even easier to get involved.

Find a sustainability volunteer opportunity on campus!

The Sustainability Volunteer Program is your one-stop-shop for sustainability volunteering! There are many initiatives in our sustainability ecosystem on campus, from student groups to university offices to academic departments. The Sustainability Volunteering Program aims to connect you with these amazing volunteer opportunities with ease.

Featured Earth Day Event

Mainstreaming Biodiversity: Making biodiversity a campus priority

Tuesday, April 22 @ 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. | 4th Space, 1400 boul. de Maisonneuve O. / Hybrid

Join us on Earth Day for an engaging event dedicated to biodiversity. This year’s earth day event goes beyond raising awareness — it focuses on driving tangible action. Attendees will have the chance to engage with experts, explore creative exhibits and contribute their ideas to shape Concordia’s first Biodiversity Strategy. Learn what steps Concordia has already taken towards biodiversity protection, what's left to do, and how you can get involved. Be part of the conversation and contribute to biodiversity on the Concordia campus!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Earth Month Workshop Series: Food waste edition

Vermicomposting 101
Thursday, April 3 @ 4 - 5:30 p.m. | Concordia Greenhouse (temporary location), H-7th floor, 1455 boul de Maisonneuve O.

Waste Auditing 101
Thursday, April 10 @ 4 - 5:30 p.m. | Concordia Greenhouse (temporary location), H-7th floor, 1455 boul de Maisonneuve O. / Hybrid

Tumbler Composting 101
Tuesday, April 22 @ 6 - 7:30 p.m. | Loyola campus (meet-up location TBD)

Registration is required.

Mitigating the Impacts of Climate Change: Lessons from Kanien'kehá:ka-led Land-Based Learning and Partnership with Iontionhnhéhkwen Wilderness Skills

Thursday, April 3 @ 12 - 1:30 p.m. | 4th Space, 1400 boul. de Maisonneuve O. / Hybrid

In this workshop, a panel of a speakers will share their insights into co-designing and implementing land-based learning opportunities for Concordia students in the local Kanien’kehá:ka community of Kahnawà:ke. Attendees will learn about the partnership between First Peoples Studies and Iontionhnhéhkwen Wilderness Skills land-based facilitators and the role of centring Rotinonhnsión:ni epistemologies and pedagogical land-based practices in deepening learners’ understanding of self in relationship to the land, to kinships, to community and to the responsibilities of addressing the impacts of climate change as future leaders in their communities. A light lunch will be provided for in-person registrants.

Workshop Tuneup 101: Intro to Mechanics and Volunteering

Sunday, April 6 @ 2:30 - 4 p.m. | Le Petit Vélo Rouge (LPVR), PS-141, 7141 Sherbrooke St W.

Join us for a workshop on how to do a tuneup on your bike and learn a bit about volunteering at LPVR! We'll cover patching tubes, adjusting brakes, replacing tires, and much more. No prior bike experience required!

Montreal Premiere Film Screening of Karura, People of the River

Monday, April 7 @ 7 p.m. | H-110, 1455 boul de Maisonneuve O.

Deep in Peru’s Amazon region, the Marañón River is home to a vast network of spirit villages ruled by the Karuara, or “People of the River.”

Don't miss the final film screening of the semester, the Montreal Premiere of Karuara, People of the River followed by special guests!

The BUYPOC Market - April Edition!

Tuesday, April 8 @ 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. | LB Atrium, 1400 boul de Maisonneuve O.

Calling all students, community members, and supporters – join us for the April BUYPOC Market! 🐝🌿💛 Connect with inspiring Black, Indigenous, and POC creators and celebrate the spring season together!

AI & the Circular Economy

Thursday, April 10 @ 12 - 4 p.m. | 4th Space, 1400 boul. de Maisonneuve O. / Hybrid

Hosted by Concordia ’24-’25 Public Scholar, Faisal Shennib, this event begins with a panel discussion on how digitization, community engagement, and policy can come together to help communities reach zero waste, including at Concordia University, as well as on the hazards of blindly embracing more technology to solve the waste and resource consumption crisis. Following this, we’ll invite users to engage with technology for sustainability developed through the OpenWaste.ai project, while asking them to imagine the social implications of the technology and the way it can be harnessed for a future of collective justice.

The Art of Listening Over Tea

Thursday, April 10 @ 2 - 3:40 p.m. | Concordia Greenhouse (temporary location), H-7th floor, 1455 boul de Maisonneuve O.

Join us for a unique wellness session that blends the art of tea tasting with the practice of active listening. Guided by caring professionals from the City Herbal Apprenticeship Program and Vent Over Tea, this interactive experience will engage your senses as you explore different teas, their flavours, and their grounding effects. At the same time, you’ll cultivate a deeper connection and presence through structured listening exercises designed to enhance mindfulness and communication. Whether you’re looking to unwind, sharpen your listening skills, or simply enjoy a moment of calm, this session offers a warm and inviting space to sip, listen, and reflect.

Careers in sustainability: Panel discussion and networking mixer

Tuesday, April 22 @ 2 - 4 p.m. | Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre, RF-110, 7141 Sherbrooke St W.

Join us for a panel discussion and networking mixer in honor of Earth Day featuring sustainability professionals in various fields. We will have alumni from a range of disciplines and sectors who will speak about their career trajectories and offer insights and career advice. Following the discussion, we will have an open networking event with additional alumni mentors from the field so that students can benefit from one-on-one or small group discussions and gain valuable tips and tricks to navigating the job market.

OPPORTUNITIES

The Office of Community Engagement is hiring!

Beginning May 1
15 hrs/ week

The OCE is seeking a creative, welcoming, and detail-oriented individual to assist with hosting events, promoting our work, and greeting community members and our partners to the space we share with the SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation. Come join our team!

Deadline to apply: April 6

Learn more and apply

Mind.heart.mouth/ACT Living Labs is seeking a garden assistant!

April 15 - October 30
25 hrs/ week

The Garden Assistant will be involved in various aspects of the community garden and the collaboration with New Hope. They will assist in garden maintenance, facilitate intergenerational activities, supervise and support volunteers, provide support and assistance to individuals with varying abilities, perform educational outreach, maintain garden records, and more. No gardening experience required!

Deadline to apply: Applications accepted on a rolling basis

Learn more and apply

Apply as a host for the Balcony Garden Research Project!

The Balcony Garden project is a participatory science project exploring the potential of balconies as green space for urban biodiversity conservation. With help from 40+ participants in 2024, we targeted monarch butterflies and monitored native plants’ growth on balconies. This year, we are expanding our study to URBAN POLLINATORS! If your balcony is selected, you will receive plants and equipment for the experiment, learn how to set up a trail camera, and find out what animals have visited your balcony garden! Participants can keep the plants after. Spots are limited--first come, first served!

Deadline to apply: April 15

Apply to host a balcony garden

Survey on composting habits and barriers among Concordia students

The purpose of this anonymous survey is to better understand how prevalent composting practices are among Concordia students and to explore the potential barriers that prevent Concordia students from composting both at home and on campus. The survey is anonymous and takes up to 5 minutes to complete.

Deadline to complete the survey: April 30

Complete the survey

Get 10% off a seasonal BIXI pass

Concordians save 10% on the seasonal membership by using an institutional promotional code. The discount will allow you to purchase a seasonal BIXI pass for $101 (instead of $112). The season pass covers the period between April 15 - November 15.

Timeline to purchase a pass with the discount: April 15 - May 31

Get the discount code

EXTRAS

Celebrate Earth Day at Home

Check out the list of earth-friendly actions by earthday.org you can take on alone or with friends and family!

City Nature Challenge 2025

Join the City Nature Challenge between April 25 - 28. Make observations of wild plants and animals 25-28 April, and take part in one of the largest community science events in the world. Bonus--observations captures on the two Concordia campuses are integrated into our own biodiversity monitoring!