Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 57.70
Liaison Joséanne Bélanger-Gravel
Submission Date May 31, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Polytechnique Montréal
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.25 / 2.00 Jean-François Desgroseilliers
Sustainable Development Advisor
Sustainable Development Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have one or more active student groups focused on sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of active student groups focused on sustainability:

"Polysphere" is Polytechnique's environment focused student group. They offer services and student awareness-raising through publications in the students' newspaper, lease of washable dishes for events, tasting of fair trade coffee, events organisation such as the annual Environment Week, etc.


The website URL where information about the student groups is available (optional):
Does the institution have gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
No

A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
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The website URL where information about the gardens, farms or agriculture projects is available (optional):
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Does the institution have student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes (e.g. cafés through which students gain sustainable business skills)?:
No

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
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The website URL where information about the student-run enterprises is available (optional):
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Does the institution have 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

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:

The undergraduate student union (Association des Étudiants de Polytechnique) has set up a fund which can be used by students for specific projects. Although this fund is not specifically dedicated to sustainable development focused projects, it clearly puts forward sustainability as one of the main criteria used to select eligible projects to make sure these projects are responsible. This fund regularly funds projects that advance sustainability on the campus.


The website URL where information about the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives is available (optional):
Does the institution have conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability:

-Every year since 2014, the Trottier Institute for Energy (http://www.polymtl.ca/iet/) organises a free symposium. This symposium is co-organised with the Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design from McGill University (http://www.mcgill.ca/tised/home).

-There is also the Environment Week celebrated in March every year (called the Sustainable Development Dozen in 2016), where conferences are organised. In 2016, the Sustainable Development Dozen was co-organised between Polytechnique Montréal, HEC Montréal and Université de Montréal.

-The Chemical Engineering Department hold an open seminar every Friday afternoon which regularly features sustainability-related topics. The list of past seminars is available here: http://www.polymtl.ca/gch/événements-et-activités/les-séminaires-découvertes-du-vendredi/archives


The website URL where information about the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability is available (optional):
Does the institution have cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
No

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability:
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The website URL where information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available (optional):
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Does the institution have wilderness or outdoors programs (e.g. that organize hiking, backpacking, kayaking, or other outings for students) that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
No

A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
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The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors programs is available (optional):
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Does the institution have sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences (e.g. choosing a sustainability-related book for common reading)?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
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The website URL where information about the sustainability-related themes is available (optional):
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Does the institution have programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
No

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
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The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills programs is available (optional):
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Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:

At Polytechnique, students can be employed as official Poly-TRI ambassadors. Poly-TRI is the official waste management program at Polytechnique. The ambassadors will help with the entire community awareness-raising during campaigns and activities.


The website URL where information about the student employment opportunities is available:
Does the institution have graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
Yes

A brief description of the graduation pledges:

At the end of their undergraduate engineering studies, the students are invited to pledge at the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer. This rituals, aslo known as the Iron Ring Ritual, "was instituted with the simple end of directing newly qualified Canadian engineers toward a consciousness of their profession and its social significance, and indicating to more experienced engineers their responsibilities in welcoming and supporting the newer engineers when they are ready to enter the profession".


The website URL where information about the graduation pledges is available (optional):
Does the institution have other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives?:
No

A brief description of the other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:
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The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available (optional):
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Estimated percentage of students (full-time and part-time) that participate annually in sustainability-focused co-curricular education and outreach programs (0-100):
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.