Polytechnique Montréal
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

In the Sustainability Plan, 9 actions are listed under Educational Background and 7 actions under Research.
Educational Background :
- To integrate in all undergraduate programs a sustainable development activity into a first year mandatory course. (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 1.1)
- To integrate notions of sustainability into a greater number of courses. Target of 40% at the end of the term of the Action Plan. (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 1.2)
- To identify courses that have a sustainability-related component in the course inventory (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 1.3)
Research :
- To place transition issues at the heart of the strategic research plan (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 2.1) Already achieved.
- To increase the proportion of sustainability research done at Poly (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 2.2) Multiple indicators are followed : Number of publications with sustainability-related topic. Percentage of researchers doing sustainability research. Percentage of Masters' and PhD theses related to sustainability topics.

- To develop and update on-line training courses.(ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 3.1)
- To increase the number of events open to the public that address sustainable development challenges (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 3.2)
- To review and update the Sustainable Development Policy (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 4.1)
- To develop training tools and material for the entire staff. (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 4.5)

- To develop a Carbon Neutrality Action Plan (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 5.1)
- To offer to the community an integrated carpooling solution (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 5.2) Achieved in 2021-2022 with the Netlift Platform.
- To review and update the Goods and Services Procurement Policy to strengthen the sustainability requirements sustainable development (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 5.3)
- To reduce the distribution of promotional items during events, including from external partners (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 5.5) Target : commitment of 80% of the departments, services, student committees, and student societies.
- To reduce fossil fuel and water use in Polytechnique' Buildings (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 5.6) Targets: 5% decrease in fossil fuel consumption and 3% decrease in water consumption compared to 2018-2019.
- To eliminate individual printers and add their users to network-shared multifunction printers (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 5.7)

- To implement indoor greening projects (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 4.2) One project installed in 2021-2022.
- To develop and implement a structured, evolving health and well-being program that meets the needs of the community (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 4.3)
- To adopt an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 4.4) Policy adopted in February 2022.
- To formally adopt responsible investment principles (ref: Sustainability Plan, objective 5.4)

It is part of the institution mission :
Respectful of the principles of sustainable development and attuned to the needs of society, Polytechnique Montréal, in accordance with its values:
-educates engineers and top-level scientists to meet the challenges of an evolving world and make them key agents of change;
-conducts research that addresses major societal issues; and
-influences its environment intellectually, economically and socially.
https://www.polymtl.ca/renseignements-generaux/en/about-polytechnique

The Board of Directors adopted a Sustainable Development Policy in 2011. It is available here: https://share.polymtl.ca/alfresco/service/api/node/content/workspace/SpacesStore/e3794dae-675d-4d93-8d90-67761981e13f?a=false&guest=true

The Sustainable Development Policy states Polytechnique's definition of sustainability as being:
"Développement durable : un « développement qui répond aux besoins du présent sans compromettre la capacité des générations futures de répondre aux leurs » (Brundtland, 1987); et un développement supporté par trois piliers : viabilité économique, équité sociale et préservation de l’environnement (Sommet de Rio, 1992)."

Being an Engineering School, Polytechnique also has a definition of sustainable engineering.
"Une pratique de l'ingénierie qui, dans toutes ses actions, assume une responsabilité élargie sur les plans environnemental, social et économique.
L’ingénierie durable…
• intègre des dimensions techniques et non techniques dans son analyse des problèmes;
• tient compte du contexte global (planétaire);
• prend en considération le système dans lequel s’insèrent les solutions qu’elle conçoit et met en œuvre;
• cherche à proposer des solutions viables à long terme;
• reconnaît la nécessité pour les ingénieurs de collaborer avec des experts d’autres disciplines et avec diverses parties prenantes pour solutionner des problèmes.
Source : adapté de B. Cushman-Roisin (2009) par le sous-comité sur l’intégration du DD dans la formation du Comité de développement durable de l’École Polytechnique (CODDEP)" https://www.polymtl.ca/durable/bureau-du-developpement-durable

Sustainability Timeline at Polytechnique Montreal
https://www.polymtl.ca/durable/politiques-plans-daction-et-resultats