Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 45.08
Liaison Jessica Krejcik
Submission Date Feb. 5, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Concordia University
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Alexander Oster
Coordinator, Student Engagement
Dean of Students Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have one or more co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that fall into the following categories?:
Yes or No
Active student groups focused on sustainability Yes
Gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, or urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems Yes
Student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes Yes
Sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills Yes
Conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience Yes
Cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience Yes
Wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles Yes
Sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences No
Programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills Yes
Sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution No
Graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions No
Other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives Yes

The name and a brief description of each student group focused on sustainability:

Sustainable Concordia (student-governed):

Sustainable Concordia (SC) is a nexus that engages students, staff, faculty, and administrators to work together in non-hierarchical, consensus based decision-making processes to address issues of sustainable development on campus. We are founded in the belief that our community stakeholders must communicate and work together to create viable solutions to sustainable development challenges on campus. Bringing the perspectives of each stakeholder group together in dialogue allows us to see the University as a system where solutions reach across sectors and departments.


The website URL where information about student groups is available:
A brief description of gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems:

City Farm School:

The City Farm School is an initiative to develop partnerships and expertise in urban agriculture on the island of Montréal. With the support of Concordia University, The City Farm School (CFS) offers seminars, discussions, internship placements, volunteer opportunities and popular education style teach-ins on permaculture, organic crop planning, producing seedlings, mushroom cultivation, composting, pest management, organic plant nutrition, rain water harvesting, and other topics of great public interest, promoting a strong focus on experiential learning and the cultivation of a can-do spirit.


The website URL where information about the organic agriculture and/or sustainable food systems projects and initiatives is available:
A brief description of student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes:

The Hive Café (student-governed):

We aim to empower students by using a student-lead, non-profit, cooperative model all the while helping to inspire and cultivate an alternative food system at Concordia that is socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable.

Located both at the heart of Concordia University’s Loyola campus and Downtown campus, the Hive Café’s mission is to provide healthy, varied, affordable, organic, and locally produced food options, while highlighting sustainable practices, employing dignified working conditions for suppliers and worker-members alike, nurturing a community-run space, and fostering an alternative food system to the one currently dominated by corporate institutional providers.

The Hive Café Solidarity Cooperative adopted a non-profit cooperative economic model due to our shared desire for fostering a healthier and more sustainable food system, our passion for community-building, and our strong commitment to values such as;

Anti-racism
Anti-sexism
Queer positivity
Anti-poverty
Anti-oppression
Egalitarianism
Fair labour relations
Social, environmental, and economic sustainability.


The website URL where information about the student-run enterprise(s) is available:
A brief description of the sustainable investment or finance initiatives:

Sustainable Action Fund (student-governed):

The Sustainability Action Fund is funded by a 25-cent per-credit undergraduate student fee levy, and a $1.25 per term graduate student fee levy. It totals approximately $150,000 per year. This money goes to support projects to develop sustainable infrastructure, urban agriculture, community-building, and education surrounding environmental and community issues, with the goal of inspiring and developing a culture of sustainability at Concordia University.


The website URL where information about the sustainable investment or finance initiatives is available:
A brief description of conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience:

INTEGRATED is a symposium on teaching and learning environmental, social and economic sustainability. It’s designed to highlight the excellent work of undergraduate students at Concordia and beyond. This symposium gives students the opportunity to learn from one another’s project and initiatives. It also provides attendees the opportunity to contribute to the larger conversation surrounding teaching and learning sustainability-related issues in higher education.

The first INTEGRATED conference was hold on March 26th-28th 2015. This conference was organized by the Sustainable Curriculum Project, a project that is jointly supported by the Sustainability Action Fund, The Concordia Council on Student Life, and the Concordia Academic Plan 2012-2016.


The website URL where information about the event(s) is available:
A brief description of cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience:

The "Whalebone Collective" is a group of young socially-engaged activists using art as a medium to generate conversation and positive change.

From their website: "as a collective, the Whalebone seeks to align itself with campaigns that work to foster sustainability, be it environmental, economic, or social".


The website URL where information about the cultural arts event(s) is available:
A brief description of wilderness or outdoors programs for students that follow Leave No Trace principles:

Concordia Outdoors student club (student-governed):

The objectives of the group shall be as follows:
- To help bring students and other members of the Concordia community (“the Community”) to the outdoors year round;
- To introduce members of the Community to new outdoor recreational activities, and to provide a safe and welcoming environment for ‘beginner’ outdoors enthusiasts to encounter new activities;
- To make outdoor recreation more affordable for the Community by providing subsidized outings and courses, local discounts, affordable rental equipment, ridesharing resources, and Community knowledge-sharing;
- To familiarize the Community members with the landscape and geography of Quebec and surrounding regions;
- To promote respect for the environment among Community members, to ‘take nothing but photographs and leave nothing but footprints’;
- To connect like-minded Community members through meetings and social events;


The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors program(s) is available:
A brief description of sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
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The website URL where information about the theme is available:
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A brief description of program(s) through which students can learn sustainable life skills:

Sustainable Community Guide:
This is a guide to living sustainably for Concordia University Community members – on campus and at home. It was created in collaboration between the Sustainability Action Fund and Sustainable Concordia.

The cumulative effect of all the actions outlined in this guide have the potential to reduce our collective environmental footprint. By becoming a leader in sustainability we can encourage and inspire other individuals and communities to become healthier and resilient. The guide will be updated online on a yearly basis so check back to
see how this evolves.

In addition, the student group Sustainable Concordia organized and supported in 2014-15 many workshops for students related to the development of sustainable life skills, for example:
- Winter biking workshop
- DIY Organic Body Products workshop
- Cider-making workshop
- Organic lunch-in-a-jar workshop
- DIY bread-making workshop
- Food preserving workshop


The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills program(s) is available:
A brief description of sustainability-focused student employment opportunities:
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The website URL where information about the student employment opportuntities is available:
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A brief description of graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions:
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The website URL where information about the graduation pledge program is available:
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A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:

Many sustainability-related students projects have been funded by the Sustainable Action Fund. A complete list of funded projects is available in the URL below.


The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.