| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.00 |
| Liaison | Jessica Krejcik |
| Submission Date | Dec. 22, 2021 |
Concordia University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Sylvie
Bourassa Executive Director, Governmental Relations Office of the President |
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the municipal/local level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level:
Concordia engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level through its research and support of the net-zero energy building (NZEB) in Varennes, Quebec. The Varennes library is the first institutional NZEB in Canada. The energy concept of the Varennes library was partly conceived under the federally-funded and Concordia-housed Solar Buildings Research Network (SBRN), an initiative of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The building was constructed under a subsequent program, NSERC’s Smart Net-Zero Energy Buildings Strategic Research Network (SNEBRN), composed of 29 researchers from 15 Canadian universities, plus partners from government and industry.
The goal of the project is to develop a roadmap for completing these kinds of projects on a large scale, in different provinces with different climates.
Montreal Statement on Sustainability in the Digital Age: In 2020, Concordia signed the Montreal Statement on Sustainability in the Digital Age. The objectives of the Collective Statement are to:
- Call on leaders tackling the climate crisis and those working towards a just and equitable digital world to recognize that these agendas are interconnected.
- Define priority areas for guiding digitally-enabled societal transformations—building on the strengths of all regions and communities —to facilitate a transition to a climate-safe and equitable world.
- Build an international network of researchers, innovators, business leaders, and policymakers collectively working to leverage the digital age to drive these societal transformations.
https://sustainabilitydigitalage.org/montreal-statement/#ask
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level:
In 2019, a group of academics, public servants, urban planners and activists from Quebec and France gathered in Montreal for two days of debate and discussion during the second annual Le Monde festival. Le Monde, NewCities and Concordia presented a series of panels under the banner Réinventer la ville : agir… vite ! Speakers explored different perspectives on how to improve urban environments and what this can look like in practice.
Concordia also advocates for greener provincial buildings standards in collaboration with Facilities Management, and for sustainable provincial procurement standards in collaboration with Procurement Services.
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the national level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level:
Concordia advocates to the federal government about doing a green and sustainable economic recovery strategy that involves supporting net-zero projects in municipalities across Canada.
In 2020, Concordia's President and Vice-Chancellor wrote to Prime Minister of Canada and the Minister of Finance asking for more funding to help low income students, international students and student with mental health issues in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
See PDF document for details.
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level:
Concordia joined nine other Québec Universities as well as hundreds of universities internationally in declaring a climate emergency in advance of the international climate strike on September 27, 2019. Concordia participated in the climate march and cancelled classes on September 27.
Concordia was the first Canadian institution to join the Washington-based GCSE (Global Council for Science and the Environment) Leaders Alliance. The GCSE aims to improve the scientific basis of environmental policy and decision-making. Working with scientists, educators, research institutions, policymakers and business leaders, the GCSE fosters collaboration between creators and users of environmental knowledge.
A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.